


That Dang Season

by Tokiji



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Hormones flying around the room basically, In which Adrien and Marinette become closer together, It's also on fanfiction btw and yes my user name is different there, Mating Season, Sneaking into Marinette's room by Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-30 21:39:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6441820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tokiji/pseuds/Tokiji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's spring! The days are longer, the flowers are blooming, and love is in the air. Our two teen heroes are pushed together by a series of events, leading them closer to their feelings, and perhaps desires.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first dive into the fandom so please support me!

The night air blew across the city of Paris in harsh gushes of wind, sending chills down the spines of late-night walkers. Even though the lamp posts were burning with light and guidance, it did nothing to soothe the anxiousness of the people. Snow was lightly raining from above, though the temperature had risen during the last few days. Puddles dotted the sidewalk, half frozen, due to the already melting snow. But the cold still pricked at the bones of two teenagers who stood atop a high roof in one of the less busy parts of the city. Their scarves and wool jackets did little to warm their bodies. Light-clothes were, unfortunately, a must when they needed to chase after an akuma. On the first day of winter, Chat Noir had gotten a nasty gash on his back because his earmuffs had blocked his ability to hear the enemy approaching. Ladybug’s yoyo had gotten tangled with her boots’ shoelace and had pulled her legs out from under her. After that, they had, with some pain and relentless, agreed to lessen their garments for the sake of safety.

Ladybug rolled her yoyo down and brought it back up into her fist. “It’s peaceful today,” she smiled at her partner.

“And the romance of Paris is captivating tonight, my lady,” he purred back. “Purr-haps we should call it a night?”

She felt more than saw him stepping closer. She held a finger in between them to stop him from proceeding any further. “Chat, it’s far too early. What if something unexpected happens?” She glared at his hands which made a move to grab her. Sheepishly, he retracted them and brought one to the back of his head, grinning. “Paris needs us to focus, Chat.”

“But lovebug,” he slumped his shoulders, feigning disappointment. “It’s the last days of winter and we’ve never had a snowball fight!”

Ladybug let a breathy laugh out before rolling her eyes. “The kitten in you wants to play in wet snow? What’s next, are you gonna ask for a bath soon?”

He scrunched his nose at the sky before grumbling, “Harsh scrubbing and paw-ful shampoo doesn’t sit well with my fur. But cold balls of challenge are different!”

Again, Ladybug laughed. “Ridiculous.”

Chat Noir crouched down at the edge of the roof, looking over the glow of illuminations scattered over Paris. His tail swished behind him. With a gulp, Ladybug turned away, her cheeks becoming the same color as her mask. It was irrational, she knew, because how would someone find a cat’s tail intriguing? This was her partner. But the last couple of days had burdened her mind with unwanted thoughts. Chat Noir’s constant flirting peeked her interest unlike before and she anticipated it for a whole day. His cat ears suddenly looked so attractive on him to the point where she had tried to take them in her hands. She became more and more conscious of how his suit fitted so damn tight on his body that her eyes would travel south on more than one occasion.

Hiding her creeping blush, she turned away and pretended to stare at the river ahead. She hadn’t done anything embarrassing, thank goodness, but it was taking so much of her self control to just hold her hands steady these days.

“My lady!” Chat abruptly shouted.

Ladybug jumped. “What?”

“Over there!” He pointed with a clawed finger.

A man and a woman stood at the edge of a sidewalk. A leather bag was between the two, with the man tugging it furiously out of the woman’s arms. “Get your filthy hands off my purse!” She screamed. “Help! Somebody help!”

Chat Noir extended his baton while Ladybug threw her yoyo. Landing near them, Ladybug exclaimed, “Stop! Let that woman go!”

“Ladybug! Chat Noir!” The woman sighed in relief. But it was a mistake to look away from the thief. With one brutal yank, the straps of the bag slipped off her arm.

“Aha! Gotcha.”

Chat Noir clanked his baton to the pavement in front of the retreating man. “Hold your cats, sir,” he said, “we haven’t even played yet.”

“Return the bag right now.” Ladybug demanded.

“As if!” He bellowed. From his pocket he produced a kitchen knife. “Would you two honestly attack an old man like me? I thought you kids fought the akuma, not a homeless man!”

“We fight evil, and you are commiting a crime.” Ladybug stepped forward, yoyo at the ready. “Please, we don’t want to hurt you. Just give the bag to us and we’ll be on our way.”

“Never!” Faster than any of them expected, he lunged and swiped the knife at Chat Noir. The younger boy managed to move away, the blade mere inches from his nose. Frustrated, he sliced the air again and missed.

Ladybug’s yoyo circled the man’s hand tightly. Pulling it, she sent him sprawling to the ground. He grunted once before taking his knife and cutting the string. Ladybug gasped as she brought the remaining string to her face, bewildered. Chucking the yoyo off of him, he made another move to attack Chat Noir.

“LB!” He yelped when the blade cut a few centimeters of his hair. “I could use some help here! I hate cat-fighting the citizens!”

“My yoyo’s broken, Chat!”

Letting out a sound of distress, Chat Noir plunged his baton to his opponent’s stomach, flipped backwards and landed beside the quivering woman. “I’m going easy here, old man.” He said. “We’d purr-fer if you just give this lady her-”

Out of the blue, the knife flew in the air and scraped the side of his face, dragging out a cry of surprise from his throat. 

Ladybug pounced immediately, kicking behind his knees and grabbing the bag as he fell. “Go now!” She ordered loudly.

Scrambling to his feet, he looked at them once, with a hint of fear and anger, and fled.

“Thank you,” the woman stuttered. “Are you alright, Chat Noir?”

He was cupping his left cheek with a gloved hand when he replied with a grin, “Feline fine, miss.”

“Here’s your purse,” Ladybug handed it to her.

“Do you need any help?” She asked kindly. “I can go buy a bandage for you-”

“Not necessary, miss. But thank you for your offer.” He bowed politely. “Have a nice trip home.”

Ladybug allowed him to wrap his arms around her and catapult them up to a roof. She wasted no time to take his face in her hands and examined his cut.

“Bugaboo, I’m touched,” he playfully slid a hand behind her back to keep her close. “If you had wanted my undivided attention you could have just said so.”

“Be quiet, Chat.” She scolded before running a tentative finger down the cut. It was a long horizontal scar that started from his cheekbones to nearly his ear. He flinched away from her hand. “It stings that much?”

“Yeah, a little.”

Putting her fingers under his chin, she turned his head sideways and peered closer. “It doesn’t look that deep.”

Chat said nothing.

It was dark, and the moon was hidden behind thick clouds. She couldn’t get a clear sight of how bad the injury was. She leaned closer. Was it going to get infected? Winter brought handfuls of diseases and bacteria. But surely this little cut wouldn’t-

She felt something walk up her spine.

“C-Chat?” She gasped.

“My lady,” he breathed in her ear. How had they closed the distance between them so quickly? He snaked another hand to her hip and brought her closer so their bodies pressed ever so firmly together. “You were so close to where I needed you to be, my lady.”

Ladybug exhaled slowly. His voice, oh god his voice, was so husky all of a sudden. “Chat, I was just looking at your cut.”

“You were inches away from my mouth.” His fingers continued their journey up and finally reached the back of her neck.

Her body failed her. The heat that radiated off his chest and the way his breath tickled her nose was so welcoming, so intoxicating, that she didn’t have the willpower to push him away like she usually did.

He seemed to notice this as he brought his lips to her earlobe. She whimpered audibly.

As soon as he heard it, he groaned and brought them down onto the hard cement. Balancing himself on his knees and elbows, he discarded her scarf and littered kisses down her neck.

“Chat Noir!”

“I’ve been waiting long enough.” He reached her collarbone and bit down, escalating her heartbeat tenfold. Holding her hips down with his hands, he let his thumb travel along her stomach and sometimes dangerously lower.

Beeping sounds ripped through their senses. Halting, his lips hovered above her chin. “We’re going to change back soon.” She murmured weakly.

“Mouse we, bugaboo?” For the first time tonight, he looked at her with seriousness. “We could stay. There’s nobody else around. Our identities would be safe with each other.”

“But, we agreed-”

“I want to stay.” He pressed. Their beeping seemed to be louder as he continued, “I want you to look at the real me.”

Her earrings were beeping frantically now. Through it, she could feel that Tikki was buying as much time as she could for her, but it wouldn’t be long before her mask disappeared. With a heavy heart, she pushed him off her and pointed to the distance. She did not look at him. She couldn’t bear the hurt that was most likely in his eyes then. A few seconds passed before she heard the familiar clinking of his metal baton against stone, and when she flicked her eyes to where he previously stood, he was gone.

Her transformation flowed out of her like water over a cliff. Her nerves were tired and numb. The jacket that hung over her shoulders didn’t stop the shaking. She had thought that it was because of the pelting snow, but when she looked down and saw water droplets falling, she reached a hand up and felt the tears hanging from her lashes.

Tikki touched her knuckles gently. “Marinette?” The little kwami whispered worriedly.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something, Tikki,” Marinette hiccuped. “I just don’t understand what’s happening. I thought…”

Tikki’s small paws wiped away a tear from her cheek. “We should go home and talk about it.”

The way back home was filled with silence. The bakery, though warm and smelled of melted butter, didn’t do much for her aching body. She only had enough energy to kiss her parents goodnight and tell them that she wasn’t feeling well before bounding up the steps and falling on her bed. She grabbed the closest pillow and hugged it against her.

“What’s the problem, Marinette?” Tikki asked. She floated over and rested on the girl’s palm.

“These past few days, I’ve felt… weird.” Gulping in air, she continued with a shuddering voice, “Like my hormones are playing tricks on me and all I want to do is kiss someone. I didn’t feel like this last year. Is something wrong with me? With us?”

“Oh, dear,” The red kwami touched her own cheek, contemplating. “Um. You hadn’t met Chat Noir last year.”

“Okay. And?”

“Before I tell you directly, you must understand that you and I share each other’s traits, therefore you are part ladybug. Your happy personality is a given to being a lucky creature. People love you as Ladybug and you are a peaceful thought for most people.”

“I know all that, Tikki. But what’s changed?”

Tikki paused. “Your hormones are also mixed with a ladybug’s hormones.”

Marinette stayed quiet, not really following.

“We ladybugs have mating season on spring. Winter is on the brink of ending right now. You’re having reactions to other males because of this.”

She shot out of bed faster than a bullet and sat up straight, her mind swirling and her mouth dry. “WHAT?!”

“Calm down, Marinette.”

“But I didn’t have a reaction last spring! Well, sure, I got little fantasies about Adrien, but it was only that! I never had an instinct to k-kiss someone before!”

“That’s because Chat Noir came AFTER spring.”

Raising an eyebrow, she stared at her. “Chat Noir is the cause of all this?”

“Technically, you both are. You two are connected. After he came into the picture, and having you two grow as inseperable as you are now, the hormones have kicked in, and it’s in very full swing, I see.”

“Tikki!” The teenager blushed when she heard her laugh. “It’s not funny!”

“I’m sorry. But you should have said something. That little scene on the roof was a bit…”

If possible, she turned a deeper shade of red than her Ladybug suit. “T-That… I um…”

“It’s not just you, Marinette. Chat Noir also has reactions to this. It’s because spring is so close already that you two start having intimate interactions. It happens all the time.”

“Yeah, but I have Adrien!” She covered her face with her hands in sorrow. “Oh, Adrien! I don’t want to cheat on you!”

“Please, Marinette, you’re not even dating him. Besides,” With more care, Tikki tugged Marinette’s hands away from her eyes and smiled, “it’s only for spring. Once it’s over, you can go back to drooling over Adrien all you like.”

Still stubborn, she shook her head. “I love Adrien. It doesn’t feel right. And yet…” Again, tears welled up in her eyes. She furiously rubbed them away. She hated crying. “Tikki, I’m scared. I know in my heart that I feel wrong for wanting Chat Noir instead of the boy I’ve been crushing on for such a long time, but… I wanted it. I wanted Chat Noir to kiss me so badly back there. I don’t want to betray my feelings like this. I’m scared.”

“Don’t think that way, Marinette. The previous Ladybugs felt the same way as you, since they also have a loved one in their real lives. But they came out stronger every year thanks to it. You should hold your head high and meet Chat Noir tomorrow with confidence.”

“The one I want to see right now is Adrien.” She bit her tongue to supress the guilt that her lie brought.

School hadn’t changed her gloomy mood.

Gripping her jacket tighter around her, she kept an eye out for the door, waiting for Adrien to come in. She had spent the entire morning light-headed and fuzzy. When Sabine had asked, she only managed a smile before packing up her breakfast and going to school early. There were few students in class at that hour. Kim and Max were talking at the back. Chloe was gushing about shoes to Sabrina who in turn wrote everything down on a natepad.

Alya wasn’t there to help her girl problems. She could really use some advice.

Not a moment later, the door opened. And her heart fell. It was only Nino. He sat in his seat and turned around to greet her. “Yo, Marinette. Fancy seeing you here so early.”

“I misread my clock.”

“Bummer. If I were you, I’d totes get some more sleep. You look tired, dude.”

She shrugged in reply. She dug around her brown paper bag and produced a dumpling. “Want some? I brought too much from home.” She handed it to him with a friendly smile.

“Awesome! So, what, is this gonna give me super cool kung fu powers like Jackie Chan? Oh, oh, or Bruce Lee?”

Marinette laughed in what felt like years. Count on Nino to make your sour face fly away. “Sure, sure, with enough dumplings everyday, you can probably climb the walls too!”

They laughed again and Nino sunk his teeth in the delicacy. “Yum! Your bakery is totally off the hook with these babies. I’d probably swing by and get some more.”

“You’re welcome in the shop anytime as long as you don’t eat the displays.”

“Don’t worry, dude, Adrien practically has a leash on me whenever we go snacking.”

Her heart fluttered at the mention of his name. What would she do if he came by the bakery? Would she stutter like a bumbling idiot and embarrass herself in her own house? Would she give him a good impression and he could be smitten enough to come back? She snorted to herself at the latter. Like that would happen.

She didn’t hear the door opening. Someone sat in front of her. Her eyes caught sight of his blond hair and the blue scarf she had knitted for him before. She internally squealed in delight and hid her mouth behind her hand.

“What’up dude.” The two guys fist-bumped. “Dang, did your driver run you over or something? Look at that huge bandage!”

Marinette’s head bopped up in shock. Bandage? Hurt? Was he hurt?

“OMG, Adri-kins!” Chloe’s high-pitched voice stung their ears. “Your gorgeous face! What happened? Did an idiot stylist cut you? Did a sharp outfit graze you? Oh, baby, that’s terrible!”

Marinette glared at her in annoyance and stood from her seat.

“I’m fine, Chloe. It was an accident in fencing.”

Poking her head over the blonde girl’s shoulder, she looked at the rather large white bandage on his cheek. Her eyes widened into saucers.

“But, don’t you guys have that weird bee mask? How’d this happen?” Nino made a move to touch the bandage, but Adrien swatted his hand away.

“It… fell off. And my friend accidentally scratched me. It’s not that bad.” He grinned in assurance. “Totally fine, guys.”

“I’ll go tell me daddy to book a hospital for you!” She pressed a button on her phone and brought it up to her ear.

“Chloe, don’t do that.” He sighed. “It’s just a scratch. No big deal.”

“But your fencing class is tomorrow, not yesterday.” Marinette unconsciously piped up.

All eyes were on her.

She saw Adrien pale a bit and swallow. “Uh. No, I don’t.” He coughed.

“Since when did YOU know his schedule?” Chloe pointed an accusing finger at her.

“I… I uhh… I don’t!” She regretted opening her mouth. “I was guessing!”

“Well keep your lame guesses to yourself.” She made a show of flipping her hair back. “Come on, Sabrina, let’s go get a nurse to take a look at poor Adri-kins.” She held his arm and planted a lipstick-sticking kiss on his good cheek. “I know you’re hurting deep down, Adrien, and I’m gonna go fix it for you!”

Once the yellow and white figure was gone, Marinette huffed. Her fingers tingled strangely like she wanted to hit something. She evened out her breaths, in and out, to calm her jumbled emotions. It’s the hormones, she told herself. Just hormones. She would not let it leak and take over her.

She found Adrien having an intense look on his face. She whipped her head to the side and behind for the person he might be looking at. When she found no one, she turned and found herself caught in his intent gaze. She paused. And then turned bright red.

“By any chance, did I bump into you last night?” He asked, his eyes never wavering from hers.

“Oh. Uh. I don’t… recall… I was very busy. But not like, busy every night or something ‘cause I-I’m pretty flexible… and stuff. Yeah.”

He raised a confused eyebrow.

She mentaly shrieked. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep. I mean, I DID sleep but not… not good.”

“Me, too.”

She only got to tilt her head before Alya came bursting in and entangling her arm around her neck. “Marinette! I got a big scoop! Like, a huge, ginormous scoop, gurl!” She giggled. She halted when she saw Adrien. She looked at her best friend, at Adrien and back again. “Bad timing?”

“Absolutely not, Alya!” Hurriedly, she pushed her up the steps and into their seat. “What’s that big scoop?”

Hesitating, she furrowed her brows at the back of Adrien’s head before finally focusing back on her excitement. “I found THIS!” She plucked a red circular object from her bag and dangled it proudly. Marinette’s soul threatened to slip away at that instant. “It’s Ladybug’s yoyo!” Alya half-whispered.

“WHAT?” Adrien, his eyebrows nearly hitting his hairline and his jaw slacked, nearly shouted, “Lady-”

Alya shushed him frantically, making sure the others didn’t hear. Unfortunately, Nino, being directly in front of her, noticed. He turned around and saw the yoyo before Alya could hide it. “Dudes, isn’t that-”

All three of them shushed him.

“Oops, I mean,” he cleared his throat and said in a quieter tone, “Isn’t that Ladybug’s?”

“You’d better not tell.” Alya hissed. “That goes to all of you. This is top secret. If the press finds this thing, they’re gonna ship it to the nearest museum and Ladybug will never get it back.”

“How’d you get your hands on it?” Yesterday, she had forgotten to take her weapon with her because she was so worried about Chat Noir. She had originally thought that after transforming back, everything would be absorbed back into Tikki. Maybe if she wasn’t holding it, it’d stay regardless if she was around or not.

“I legit tripped on it on my way here. It was half-buried in snow.” She tucked it into her backpack and zipped it tight. “I’m gonna fix it for her and give it back.”

“I’m pretty sure if you just gave it back, the magic would-”

“No, no, no.” Alya waved her hand dismissively. “If Ladybug sees that I’ve fixed it and I kept it out of harm’s way, she’ll be so grateful and she’ll HAVE to say yes to an exclusive interview!”

“Guilt-trip her, nice.” Nino gave her a high-five.

“I think Marinette’s right, though.” Adrien quickly interjected. Marinette had to put some effort as to not faint. “You should just give it back. She’s gonna need it when she fights crime.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m gonna work on it today and give her the word through my Ladyblog!” She clapped her hands once. “I’m so psyched!”

Tikki rattled in Marinette’s bag. She touched the surface and tried to soothe her. The two shared the same thought. They had to get it back as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

“What do you think you’re doing?” Alya shot. Her gaze was fiercely locked at Marinette's hands, half in and half out of her bag.

Sheepishly, complete with a nervous giggle, she retracted. “Your zipper was undone!” She tried.

“No, it was not.” Alya crossed her arms defiantly. “What’s up with you? I keep catching you stealing glances at my backpack and now you’re snooping. Seriously, Marinette, what gives?”

“Don’t be so suspicious of me, Alya!”

The other girl raised a not-so-amused eyebrow. “Whatever. Are you coming with me for lunch or nah?”

Nodding a bit too enthusiastically, she stepped forward to follow her out the door when suddenly a hand tapped her arm. Adrien looked up at her and motioned for her to bend down. Marinette’s blood erupted into her head in gushes, making the room spin. Rather impatient, he tugged her down. “Listen, I need your help.” He whispered in her ear.

“Adrien… so close…guhh...”

He raised an eyebrow before snapping his fingers in front of her crossed eyes. She gasped. “You okay?” He asked.

“Oh!” She straightened her posture and fumbled with one of her pigtails. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t focusing! You were just so hot and─ ah, no, I mean your breath was so hot, b-but not that you’re not hot or anything, you are!” She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent any more nonsense to sputter out. She saw Alya waiting for her by the door. Her eyes darted from her, Adrien, and back again. “Alya’s in a hurry so I’d better─”

“Rain check it!”

Her eyes snapped to him in surprise. “Why?”

His green eyes examined their surroundings, like he was making sure no one was listening in, and said, “It’s really important. Can you please cancel your plans and come with me?”

Baffled, Marinette looked to her best friend again. She tapped her watch and made a gesture that they needed to go. “Alright. Just a sec.”

Bouncing over, Marinette made an apologetic face. “You go on without me, Alya. I um… have an emergency to attend.”

“Is this emergency related to Adrien, by any chance?”

She gulped audibly. “No?”

Alya shook her head and laugh. “Finally! Gurl, go get your man. It’s about time you two go out for lunch together.” Alya hugged her with one arm. “It’s totally fine. I can totally get this thing repaired on my own. This is _your_ day. Just don’t forget to give me the juicy details afterwards, ‘kay?”

Marinette couldn’t help the blush coming. Did Adrien really ask her out to lunch? After hearing Alya, it _did_ sound like it. She tried a glance over her shoulder and caught Adrien smiling at her. She quietly squealed. “Alya, wait, I might need you!” She stopped her from leaving. The happiness in her faded to panic. “You know how I am with him! I’ll ruin my chances and he’ll never ask me out again and we’ll never get married and have babies and we’ll never─”

“Whoa there, Marinette. Ya got this in the bag. Just chill out and be yourself. Or, uhh, not too much of yourself. Be the cool, smooth version of yourself. Besides, I have to go fix this yoyo and give it back as soon as possible, remember?”

“Oh… yeah…”

Wishing her luck, Alya disappeared through the door.

Marinette sucked in a long breath before marching back to Adrien’s seat. She hoped that her movements weren’t too much like a robot gone haywire. “So!” She squeaked. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Um, how about that lunch?”

If she had thought that his car was cool from the outside, the inside of it was wicked. The black leather was comfortable and soft, and she could stretch her legs completely out in front of her. The back seat was so spacious that even her papa could fit in there. And more importantly, Adrien was sitting next to her! He was casually looking out the window, with that golden blond hair shining with the sunlight and his green eyes─

Marinette stopped and looked closer and noticed from his reflection in the glass that his eyes were a bit sad. It held no sparkle. In class, he would always have this glint in them as if he was excited about everything, and his smile would make it light up even more. But it was gone then.

She hesitated for awhile before she had the courage to clear her throat. He looked back at her, seeming to remember that she was there. “Uh, so, where are we eating?” She croaked.

“I haven’t really decided yet, actually.” He chuckled in embarrassment. After they pulled out from the school and into the next street, he continued, “Where do you usually eat?”

“I don’t eat out much. I mostly eat at home, but I brought money so we can go wherever you want.”

“Oh, that reminds me! I loved your dad’s pie from my last visit. Eating at your place sounds pretty ‘sweet’ to me.” He winked.

Marinette deadpanned. “Did you just make a pun?”

“I don’t know ‘pie’ you’re asking that.”

She rolled her eyes and elbowed him, and he elbowed her back. “That was horrible.”

“Was it? I thought it was pun-tastic.”

She held back her laugh and took a moment to read his expression. He was grinning, and his eyes shone with genuine amusement. Was she just imagining things a minute ago? She reasoned with herself that it was probably a play of light and the real him was this cheerful boy she knew and loved. It must’ve been it. “My parents are gonna bombard us with treats once we get there.”

“Hey, I work out weekly, so a few extra pounds wouldn’t kill me.”

She fought the urge to daydream about the working out bit. When the familiar bakery appeared in her sights, they hopped off the vehicle and entered, the little jingle of the bell welcoming them. There were a few customers inside and her mother was busying herself with the cash register. Marinette went over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m home, mom.”

“Hello, dear.” She said with a smile. “Your father is in the kitchen if you need lunch. Where’s Alya?”

“She had an errand to run. But, errr…” She pointed her thumb at the boy behind her.

Sabine’s entire face lit up in delight. “Oh! Yes, yes, do come in! I’ll be with you in a minute after I finish up.”

“Can I help you with anything?” Adrien offered politely.

“Such a good young man! After you join the family, you can certainly help.”

“MOM!” Marinette blanched. Adrien furrowed his brows in return. “C-Come on, Adrien! Let’s get some food!”

The kitchen was full of noise. Tom was rolling up some dough when he noticed his daughter coming. “Hey, papa.” She waved.

“Hi, sweetheart. Lunch is in the microwave.” He inclined his head and beamed much like Sabine had done when he saw Adrien. “Ah, Adrien my boy, welcome!”

“Hello, sir. I’m sorry for intruding.” Adrien took a seat at one of the stools.

“Ridiculous! You’re a guest. Please, make yourself at home.”

With her hands in mittens, she placed the hot tray on the counter and sat next to the blond. While she was scooping the food onto her plate, she felt a light kick on her ankle. Adrien was pointing up towards the ceiling. From the corner of her eye, she made sure that her father wasn't looking and bobbed her head, not really getting his signal. He pointed again and indicated the stairs with a flick of his eyes.

Alarm seized her like a tight glove. Her posters! Her posters of _him_! And all those photos hanging on her walls! She couldn’t let him see them. She couldn’t bring them upstairs.

Silently grabbing a sticky note and a pen, she wrote down a message and dragged it to him. _“What’s the matter?”_

He quickly scribbled something and handed it to her from below and away from Tom’s sight. Marinette grinned nervously at him. Tom continued applying cream on some cupcakes. Sighing in relief, she read his note. _“We need to talk privately.”_

Still, they couldn’t do that in her room. When he had come over to play video games, she’d had a head start and cleaned everything up (mostly) and even then she had to be careful. She racked her brain for an idea.

Grabbing the food, she said, “Papa, Adrien and I have some school stuff to do. We’re just gonna eat upstairs and do them, okay?”

“Sure! I’ll bring some snacks later on!”

“That'd be great, sir!” Adrien called and bounded up the stairs after her.

Opening the attic door, they were greeted with Marinette’s pink bedroom. Not as he was expecting, Marinette ushered him to follow her through another flight of stairs. They emerged out into her balcony, a cold air blowing through but still crisp with the promise of spring. Marinette placed their food on a small table and sat, Adrien copying her actions. “Wouldn’t it be better if we talked in your room instead?” Adrien asked as he rubbed his upper arms.

“Uh, my room’s a complete mess! I mean, a tornado practically hit it a few hours ago!”

“But we just passed it and it looked pretty fine to me.”

“Right. Well. I just thought that it’d be a lot nicer to talk with a view of the city!”

Adrien frowned and pulled his collar up to block the wind.

Marinette felt bad for making them eat in the cold. Really, she did. Asking him to wait, she went back down and searched around her closet for something to wear. “Marinette, Adrien’s right.” Tikki said, floating around her. “You’re gonna freeze! Just invite him down!”

“And let him see all those pictures? Absolutely not! He’d never talk to me again!”

“Who are you talking to?” Adrien’s voice drifted from the top of the stairs. Tikki took cover in Marinette’s jacket.

“Um, I-I was just uhh… just… t-talking to errr… myself?”

Adrien descended and looked at something at a distance. Following his gaze, Marinette’s color drained out of her. He was looking at her photos! “Is that me?” He squinted and walked forward.

Marinette interjected his path and put herself between him and the far wall. “You? What? No! Of course not! Let’s go up!”

“It’s really cold, Marinette. We’d catch the flu.” He brushed past her and gazed at the dozens of pictures. “What the…?”

“It’s not what you think! I-I uhh… I just… ahh…”

He fingered the edge of one. With his back still to her, he said, “Are you a fan or something?”

“Adrien, don’t get the wrong idea. I admire… your work.” She felt Tikki move. The kwami was probably slapping her head in frustration. “I love how you… p-pose? Yeah, and the clothes you wear. I mean, they’re so stylish and I’ve always wanted to be a designer so… they’re just up there… as inspiration?”

With every passing heartbeat, she could feel her heart tumbling lower and lower. Was he freaked out? Did he find her creepy now? Oh God, was he going to report her to the police for stalking? Was he going to turn to Chloe and have her be his girlfriend? Was he─

Adrien followed the heart-shaped line with his finger. “You sure this stuff is for inspiration?”

“Marinette!” Tikki whispered frantically, her head low and well-hidden. “Now’s your chance to tell him how you feel! Tell him!”

“Are you nuts? I can’t say that!” Marinette was a tad bit too loud.

“So, they _aren’t_ just for inspiration?”

“No! I mean, yes? I mean…”

A loud explosion erupted.

The floor shook and the walls shuddered violently, making some of her pencils fall off the desk and into Adrien’s nimble hands. Marinette’s feet caught on something and she collapsed and held the carpet for dear life. Adrien ducked and held her to prevent the oncoming dust and pebbles from hitting her. A rather large portion of the ceiling broke and struck him between his shoulder blades. He yelled out, followed by Marinette.

And it all stopped.

The world was steady again as if the earthquake never happened. Her picture frames stopped swaying. Her pens stopped rolling about the floor. But the damage still remained. Their tipped-over mugs were lying in shards. Her books were scattered. Her dolls and cushions were out of place, some had even fallen from the second level. Dazed, Marinette looked up. The roof held spider webs of cracks and at a couple of sections it had missing pieces of cement.

Adrien grunted. “Oh my God,” Marinette gasped. She grabbed his shoulders and watched him wince. “Are you alright?”

“Just a bruise.” He hissed through gritted teeth. “What about you? Okay there?”

She gaped at him. He was the one who got injured. He took the blow for her. He shielded her. And he was asking _her_ if she was fine? She abruptly stood up and pointed, anger flowing through her veins. “How dare you!”

He staggered back in shock. “Wha…?”

“I am perfectly okay! I. Am. Okay. And do you know why? It’s because an idiot goofball of a model just saved me! And you know what else? He is hurt! The love of my life protected me after he found out that I’m some kind of fanatic and now he’s asking me if I’m okay?!”

“Wait, I never said─” He halted, blinking several times. “The love of… Marinette…”

“You shouldn’t have done that!” She went on. “I absolutely hate it when other people get hurt in my place! And you… especially you…” She fought the tears from releasing. Standing high and looking down at him, her bottom lip quivered, her fists shaking vigorously at her sides. She barely heard her attic door bursting open.

“Kids!” Her papa shouted. He hoisted himself up and ran up to engulf his daughter in a tight hug. She returned the gesture with equal force. “Come on, we need to get out. We have no idea when another wave hits us.” His sights fell on Adrien, kneeling and holding his shoulder. “Goodness, Adrien, are you─”

“Debris got him on the back.” Marinette drawled. “Papa, please, help him.”

When they were going to pass her, Adrien brushed her fingers. Blue and green met for a second before she pulled away. “Marinette, the yoyo.” He called out. “You have to get the yoyo from Alya. Right now.”

“Yoyo? Son, surely it’s not the right time to think about a child’s toy! You have a badly swollen back─” Marinette bit back a whimper, “─and you need a hospital!”

At the front door, Sabine heaved a sigh of relief. “Hurry! We mustn’t be inside a building when─”

Another rough shake knocked them off their feet. The displays of donuts danced around them, a chorus of breaking glass sliced the air, and multiple car alarms blasted from afar. People ran across the street in terror, screaming and yelling for salvation. And in the midst of chaos, a figure clad in brown emerged. He stomped the ground and cracks formed along the pavement. It zigzagged and slithered like a snake, swallowing up motorcycles and bikes. “I am Rumble! The world will buzz at the sound of my name!”

“An akumatized man?” Adrien attempted to move but his wound limited his actions. Sabine balanced him back up. He whirled his head and repeated, “Get the yoyo, Marinette! Ladybug can’t fight this guy without it!”

“What about Chat Noir?” She fired.

“Stop being so stubborn and go, damn it!”

Clicking her tongue, she darted out the door and leaped into the fog of grime ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am blown away by the amount of support this story has gotten so far! Thank you to everyone who have continued to like this and I certainly hope that you won't get tired of me :'D


	3. Chapter 3

Alya was hiding behind a mailbox.

 

By the time Marinette had found her, her phone was in her hand, video-ready. “Yo, peeps!” She was saying. “News from Paris is that some wacko dude is splitting the streets - literally! I’m positive that Ladybug and Chat noir will show up, so I’m not gonna panic or-”

 

“Alya!” 

 

The girl screamed and juggled her phone for a few seconds, nearly dropping it. Cursing, she deleted the video and turned to the owner of the voice. She opened her mouth, probably to tell her off, but she seemed to register Marinette’s presence as she sprinted towards her, engulfing her in a bear hug. “Alya…” Marinette soothed her. The girl’s shoulders were shaking. She must’ve been scared, Marinette thought.

 

She was about to comfort her when she heard Alya laugh. “Um. Alya?”

 

Alya had a wicked grin on her face, the kind of grin that she would make when her devious plans were rolling into place. “Perfect timing, Marinette!” She clapped.

 

The dark-haired girl blinked. “Huh?”

 

“I need your threads!”

 

“My  _ what _ ?” She instinctively circled her torso with her arms.

 

Alya rolled her eyes. “Not  _ those  _ threads, girl! The ones you use to sew! Those really strong ones that are impossible to snap!”

 

Slowly, the gears in her head turned and she understood where her friend was going with this. “You want me to fix the yoyo.” She stated, dumbfounded.

 

“Yes!” She slung her backpack around and in front of her and pulled out the broken weapon. “With this much chaos, all the stores are closed and I’ve got nowhere to go! But  _ then… _ ” She shoved the polkadotted contraption into her friend’s hands. “My best friend who is coincidentally a junior designer just so happens to be right here and she is  _ totally _ gonna help me out, right?”

 

“And, uhh… what if this best friend of yours can’t?”

 

Alya snickered and slapped her thigh. “Marinette, I love you and all, but this is not the time to joke. Ladybug needs us!”

 

“You can use your Ladyblog to call her over and give it to her! It’s not necessary for us to actually repair it!”

 

Alya opened her mouth to retort, but whatever words that she had intended to say were knocked out of her tongue, replaced with a horrible shriek. Marinette turned and saw a flash of brown. A figure loomed over them, its muscular build casting a long shadow and cloaking them in momentary darkness. The girls stumbled back as the concrete beneath them moved, forming a tiny hill that seemed to have a mind of its own as it followed their movements in alarming speed. Grabbing Alya’s arm, Marinette sprinted away. Rumble’s laugh echoed off the trees and walls, pounding on their eardrums and teeth.

 

“It’s gaining on us!” Alya eeped.

 

The hill began to grow in size with each passing step, absorbing the ground and leaving a trail of broken-up earth in its wake. If that wasn’t bad enough, Alya’s warning was a bit too close for comfort. The thing was only a few feet behind them, the height already surpassing their heads. If they took a closer look, the surface had a carving of a hungry monster, its jagged mouth and slanted eyes mocking their efforts of escape.

 

“Over here!” Marinette turned a sharp corner, holding tight on Alya to make sure she didn’t fly off the path.

 

Their chaser, to their relief, hadn’t expected the sudden change of course as it rammed into a cafe’s patio, sending Parisians’ food and coffee into the air and landing atop its supposed head. They whooped and high-fived each other and continued running. The bakery wasn’t far away anymore.

 

Where was Chat Noir? Marinette couldn’t help gnawing on her nails as she thought about her missing partner. He should be here by now. That black cat could practically smell trouble from a mile away! What the hell was he doing? If the ruckus in town wasn’t loud enough, he should have felt those earthquakes, shouldn’t he? The vibrations were all over Paris, after all. He couldn’t have missed them. 

 

She sensed her parents’ presence before she even saw them. They were across the street, helping a few elderly people into their shop. Adrien wasn’t with them.

 

“Mom! Papa!” Marinette jumped and wrapped her arms around Tom’s neck, her legs dangling and his embrace crushing her. Sabine heaved a heavy sigh and said something in Chinese, a prayer of thanks, and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Are you two okay?”

 

“We’re fine, honey.” Sabine pulled her robe around herself tighter and scowled. “You, young lady, are most definitely punished for running off like that! We were so worried about you!”

 

“I’m sorry, mom.” Marinette bent down and hugged her. “I had to get something important.” She showed her yoyo in her hand, causing a pair of gasps. “I need to get upstairs and fix this. Ladybug will get here as soon as she can.”

 

“I’ll guard her back!” Alya raised her hand.

 

Without waiting for a reply, they darted inside and made a wild dash for the stairs. The house was a wreck, the intricate vases were nothing but shards of ceramic on the floor, the books and plates out of their places, and the walls bared large cracks that lined from end to end. Marinette paused at the trap door of her room, frantically searching for Adrien. Did he go home? Did an ambulance come and fetch him? Was he alright?

 

“Hurry, Marinette!”

 

“Just a sec!”

 

The entire living room was quiet, no proof of anyone but themselves in the vicinity. Adrien wasn’t here.

 

Mouthing a few unlady-like words at herself, she joined Alya in her room and grabbed her basket of needles, yarn, and threads. She chose a random string, testing its sturdiness for a second with her fingers, and then rolled it into the yoyo.

 

Alya pulled up her window only to have it creaking in protest, slipping off and crashing down to the street. Alya waved nervously at someone below. “Sorry about that!” She called. “At least you dodged it!” 

 

After the desired length was reached, she grabbed her fallen scissors and snipped it, making a loop at the end and tying it firmly. “I finished it!” She triumphed.

 

“Great!” Taking out her phone, she positioned her camera right and grinned. “Hello, people of Paris! This is Alya, Ladyblog extraordinaire, coming at you live from my best friend’s bedroom! She has a few things to say, so let’s give the screen to her.” She punched a button and gave a thumbs up with her right hand. 

 

Marinette channelled her alter ego, drinking in the confidence and composed virtue of Ladybug. She stood up straight and gestured at the destruction around her. “As you can see, this certain Akuma isn’t the kindest one and I’m willing to bet that most of you are wondering where the superhero duo are.”  _ So am I, but at least I know where one of them is.  _ “But I assure you that it’s not their fault for not coming immediately because they have lost a very significant piece of their battle. Ladybug, if you are watching this  _ please _ come and retrieve this,” She showed the camera the yoyo briefly. “Alya, the maker of this blog, found it lying on the ground this morning. We’ve done everything we can to repair it and-”

 

There was a swooshing sound that came from the window. Alya beamed first before turning around and saying, “Wow, girl, you sure come fast-”

 

A pillar of dirt shot out and threw Alya to the far wall behind them, trapping her in a solid prison of sticky mud. She screamed and kicked and tried to free her arms but to no avail. Rumble chuckled before picking up the fallen cellphone. “Change of plans.” He said in a deep, thundering voice. “ _ I’m  _ getting Ladybug’s weapon for her. Oh, don’t fret, I’ll take good care of it. I might even spare a few parts of it as a souvenir.”

 

Marinette scrambled back until her hips bumped the side of her closet.

 

Rumble heard the sound and snapped his full attention on her. “Well, well, looks like another one wants to play.” He grinned.

 

“Marinette, make a break for it!” Alya squirmed, but the mud was starting to drip down her legs and sticking them to the wall. “Get the yoyo and go!”

 

“I can’t leave you here!” Marinette jumped when Rumble attempted to shoot another dirt bomb on her, the filth covering her teddy bear like a cocoon. She jumped and jumped again, each strike missing its target and finding purchase on her furniture. She silently hoped that her yoyo was really fixed because it would be a nightmare to clean this all up without any magic. Finally, she took cover under her desk. She opened her bag and let Tikki fly free. “We can’t transform here.” She said desperately.

 

“We have to lure him out and find a quiet place to do it!” Tikki flinched when she saw another shot being fired.

 

Nodding, she tucked the kwami into her jacket and leaped for the door. Just when her hand was a meter away, Rumble fired an extra sticky mud bomb onto the doorknob, rendering it of its use. They were trapped in here.

 

“Give the yoyo, little girl, and no one will get hurt.” Rumble stepped forward but instantly halted and staggered a bit when a shoe flew to the side of his head.

 

Alya bared her teeth in frustration, one of her sneakers missing. “Uh, hello! I am obviously hurt here!” She huffed.

 

“Hang in there, Alya.” Marinette swallowed. “Listen, Rumble, I’ll give you the yoyo.”

 

“ _ Marinette _ !” Alya went white. “You can’t just  _ give  _ it to him! Ladybug will storm right in here any minute now!”

 

Tikki moved uneasily in her clothes and she resisted the urge to stroke her. “I’ll give it to you when you get the hell out of my house first.”

 

“Hear me, world!” He abruptly shouted into the air, lifting his arms up and showing off his biceps. “Ladybug’s most precious weapon will fall into my hands! Take that, all of you reporters who said I can’t land a scary punch!”

 

If Alya’s hands were free, she would be face-palming. Marinette, however, plastered on her most endearing and innocent smile. “Perfect! Let’s go right now! Oh, but wait…” She gestured to her door helplessly. “You blocked our only exit! What ever shall we do?”

 

“Nonsense! There is another exit!” He landed his fist onto her wall right next to her window - or the opening of it since the glass had found a place on the pavement below - and the entire brickwork collapsed, forming a huge hole that even a truck could fit in. Now she  _ seriously _ hoped that her magic wouldn’t fail. It wasn’t going to be flattering if the entire city could watch her change clothes. “Come! Bring the yoyo!” He bellowed before doing a cannonball, the world shaking as soon as he descends.

 

“Girl, don’t do it.” Alya pleaded. She tried for another pathetic kick. “Just let me get out of this and I’ll-”

 

“I’m sorry, Alya. But I have to go down there.”

 

“Are you nuts? He is the definition of a lunatic baboon! It’s not safe!”

 

Throwing her a sly wink, she rolled the yoyo down and flicked it up again into her palm, pleased with her work. “Ladybug will come, remember?”

 

At this, her friend paused and stared at her. It was clear in her eyes that she was against her plan, but if the way she relaxed was anything to go by, Marinette knew that she had won. She bobbed her head up as best as she could to make her glasses bounce back in place. “Be careful.”

 

“I will. And you’ll get out of there soon, I promise.” She stood at the edge of the gap, the height not affecting her in the slightest, but the cold outside still sent a shiver down her spine. Rumble waited for her with his hands wide opened. She clearly saw Sabine and Tom next to him, her mother weeping and trying to restrain her husband from knocking the lights out of the other man.

 

“Don’t mind me.” She attempted a shrug. “I’m just, you know, hangin’.”

 

Letting out a breath, she noticed that it wasn’t visible in the air. The cold had lessened and frost no longer lingered. It was a good sign, she figured. Spring was waiting and she was going to make sure that Paris was safe enough to welcome it. Lifting one leg, she closed her eyes and tried not to think about an akumatized man’s beefy arms around her. She felt the tug of gravity taking its toll on her. The air whistled in her ears.

 

And something rough caught her around her waist.

 

She gasped and flailed, electricity winding up and down her body as fear seized her. The ground wasn’t coming closer. It was getting farther away!

 

“Gotcha, princess.”

 

She snapped her gaze to the side and was met with mischievous green. “Chat Noir?” She shouted through the wind. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I’m doing my job!” He answered cheekily. Baton in hand, he launched the both of them higher and landed on a distant rooftop. Marinette slid down and glared at him. The superhero raised a confused eyebrow at her. “What?”

 

“I had it under control!”

 

“Oh, right, my mistake. Next time I see a civilian trying to romantically jump into a bad guy’s awaiting hug, I’ll just let them do their thing and  _ not _ try to rescue them.” He leaned on his baton and gave her a two-fingered salute. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

 

Marinette threw her arms up in exaggeration. Was this guy seriously trying to sass with her instead of saving the day? She made a mental note to scold him later when she was Ladybug. “Chat, you’re not helping the situation.” She grumbled before coming to stand directly in front of him. She jabbed her index finger at his chest and said, “We’ve been waiting for you and Ladybug to show up forever ago! What happened?”

 

“My a-paw-logies, my fair princess,” With a speed that Marinette couldn’t comprehend, he took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “But your shining knight in armor had to help others in dire need. Although, I suppose protecting you should have been my priority.”

 

Growling, she wriggled her fingers out of his grasp and shoved at his nose until she had her personal space back in order. To make her even angrier, her body dared to betray her by making her stomach do flips and her face blushing. Damn hormones, not now! “Get this to its rightful owner.” She tossed her yoyo at him.

 

He caught it with ease and smirked. “May I ask why you have my lady’s prized possession, princess?”

 

“No, you may not.” She twisted her body to look down at the city. Rumble was definitely furious about of their trickery. He was yelling and stomping his foot all over the place, making more cracks and miniature hills like the one before. Marinette wasn’t all that eager to find out what they could do if a victim were to fall. “Think you can handle him, kitty?”

 

“I’ve fought many other soldiers before. This’ll be a piece of cake.” He cracked his knuckles and positioned his baton for combat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, over 100 kudos already?! You guys are awesome!!!! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I would make this chapter in Adrien's point of view.
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys like these bucket of feels~

It hurt.

 

Every muscle in his back screamed at him for rest, for a cool ice pack, or just stay still in general. His arms and legs shook from the throb. For a brief second, he worried that his father would assign him a shirtless photoshoot. It’d be bad enough if the staff saw it, he didn’t need Gabriel to question him and possibly put him on lock down. In desperation, while Sabine was putting some Chinese balm on his wound, he had asked Tom and her to keep quiet about his condition and fled, yelling out a quick thank you on the way. He felt bad for running off like that, especially when they were so worried about him, and he made an important note to himself that he’d visit them and Marinette soon.

 

_ Marinette. _

 

His baton nearly slipped out of his hands mid-landing.

 

Marinette. Did she really confess to him, Adrien Agreste, aka socially awkward blondie? He had spent a good ten minutes wondering if his mind had conjured that up after finding all those magazine clippings on her walls. Maybe his eyes had played tricks on him too? Maybe his ears had malfunctioned and heard the ‘love of my life’ thing instead of something else? Maybe his heart wasn’t working, because he was having trouble controlling it. It kept racing in his chest, occasionally stopping when he tried to think about Marinette and her sweet smile that seemed so familiar and so strange at the same time.

 

He yelped in surprise when Rumble brought down his gigantic fists, barely saving his tail as he jumped out of the way and skittered to a stop, baton in his shaking hands.

 

Don’t think about Marinette. Focus on the fight. Don’t think about her freckles and pigtails. Don’t think about her blue eyes. Don’t think-

 

He growled, more to himself rather than his opponent, and extended his baton into a staff. He needed to get this done  _ fast _ . He’d get the thoughts out of his system later.

 

He lunged at the large man and whacked him upside the head. Rumble stumbled, trying to grab the lithe cat as he circled around his legs. Chat Noir knocked his legs right out from under him and pumped his fist in the air victoriously as he watched him fall.

 

Which was a mistake.

 

The instant his body made contact with the ground, an earthquake woke the entire neighborhood in large waves of rubble and stone. From a few meters away, a water pipe exploded from underground, creating a miniature storm. Chat, his hair dripping, scowled. This day just kept better and better.

 

Although his suit helped him move around more freely, he still felt the pain shoot up his spine and into his skull. His breathing was beginning to waver, the air suddenly too thick for his throat. What’s worse, Rumble was back on his feet and roaring.

 

Chat ducked and dodged his attacks and tried to land a few. Though the man was nearly twice his size, he was fast. He roughly recognized him from TV as Plagg would sometimes flip the channels and comment how bad the movies were, and at some point this morning he had stopped on a boxing match just in time to see one of the fighters get KO-ed on the first hit. He guessed that this big guy must’ve been him.

 

He prayed that his big hands wouldn’t touch his face because  _ damn _ this guy was strong. Even from the wind of his blows he could tell that if he managed to get him, it wouldn’t feel like a gentle caress at all. Adrenaline raced through his blood as he contemplated what to do. He could go low and swipe his legs again, but that’ll just cause more trouble for the citizens. It wasn’t even possible for his hands to reach all the way up to Rumble’s head. That just leaves his torso, which could be handled if-

 

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of red and black.

 

Rumble grabbed him by his bell and yanked. “Aha!” He grinned. “Gotcha now, kitty-cat!”

 

“Oh, you sure did,” Chat Noir tried to suppress his snicker. “After all that  _ fishing _ around, you finally got a Chat-ch. So, what are you gonna do, good sir?”

 

“I’ll tell ya what I’m gonna do!” He shook him in triumph and laughed. “I’m gonna take your miraculous and present it to Hawkmoth! He’ll be so pleased.”

 

“I bet. But you’d better take a look behind you first.”

 

“Huh?” Raising an eyebrow, he turned around. And crumbled into a heap on Chat’s feet.

 

Ladybug dusted off her hands as she marveled her work. “Wow, he’s got one strong nose - my fingers feel kinda numb.”

 

“Let me have the pleasure of healing them for you, my lady,” He bowed dramatically, ignoring the pain, and brought her hand to his lips.

 

Ladybug scoffed and flicked his forehead. “I think you have something of mine, my dear partner.”

 

Smirking, he presented the yoyo to her, the surface glinting under the sun. He watched, if not a little transfixed, as she plucked it out from his palm and tested it out. Up and down it went, the string seeming to shimmer with magic as it reconstructed the mundane material into something stronger, more miraculous.

 

She bent down and retrieved Rumble’s item - his boxing glove - and ripped it in half, purifying the akuma inside and setting it free. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

 

Rumble was coated in black and purple bubbles, the evil inside him evaporating and restoring his normal self. “What happened?” He rubbed at the spot where Ladybug had punched. “Ouch.”

 

“I’m very sorry about that, sir.” She sheepishly said. “You’re going to be fine, though. Things are wrapping up as we speak.”

 

The thousands of ladybugs swarmed the vicinity, repairing houses and roads and tidying up every piece of furniture. Under a minute, everything was back to its rightful place, completely unscatched.

 

Chat Noir, though, wasn’t prepared when the little bugs engulfed him in a flutter of wings and buzzes. They flew in a fast circle around his chest and back, and he felt the bruise disappear. Once they were gone, he twisted and bent, relishing the pain-free movements. He felt absolutely  _ awesome _ .

 

“Did you get hurt in the fight?” Ladybug asked.

 

“Um, yeah, you could say that.” He scratched the back of his head and smiled.

 

That’s right. He had his lady. He was a taken guy. Or, well, it was more of a one-sided thing, but his heart was someone else’s nonetheless. He adored Ladybug; his partner, his teammate. She was without a doubt the most beautiful and courageous being he had ever laid eyes on, and that would never change.

 

“Good work, lovebug,” He offered her his fist and, with a small smile, she fist-bumped him.

 

“Good work to you too, Chat Noir.” She stepped back and looked at him, a strange expression plastered on. “Listen, about the other night…”

 

Chat couldn’t tell if his soul sang with the memory or if his gut had merely plummeted with dread. “Yes?”

 

“I shouldn’t have… invaded your space like that. I was just worried about you and…” She eyed his bandaged cheek and frowned. “I should’ve been more cautious.”

 

“About me getting hurt or about letting me kiss your neck?”

 

Blushing, she waved her hands to ward off his question. “Chat…”

 

He sighed and dropped his head.

 

A one-sided love, huh? Did Marinette go through these feelings too? The feeling of being so close to the one you love and yet never being able to touch them? The rejection, the anxiety, the pressure of wanting to climb over the walls; it was exhausting at times. Although, he and Ladybug were close friends. The two of them were inseparable and they  _ needed  _ each other no matter what kind of relationship they were in. But for Marinette and Adrien, it was different. They didn’t talk on a regular basis. Heck, it was difficult to hold one conversation with her because she would panic and run away. He had thought that it was because she didn’t like him, or perhaps he just wasn’t the type of person she wanted to hang out with. But after today…

 

Ladybug snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, jostling him to the present. “You okay there, Chat?”

 

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. I just, ah,” He looked away from her, embarrassed. How could he think about another girl when his lady was right there with him? “I have a lot on my mind right now. I should probably go.”

 

“Hey,” She touched his shoulder to stop him. “Are we, you know, okay?”

 

“What do you mean, my lady?”

 

“I don’t… want things to be awkward after… uhh... what happened.”

 

He offered her a toothy grin and a salute. “We’re as dandy as ever, I promise you. Now, if you’d excuse your cat,” He used his baton to launch into the air, “I have some things to do!”

 

The trip home was swift, but the time he spent in his room wasn’t. Plagg was lying on his cushion, munching on some cheese and pretending not to notice his chosen pacing around the couch.

 

“I don’t get it!” Adrien exclaimed. “Marinette… how… when the hell did she…”

 

“It’s about time she said something.”

 

“ _ What _ ?!” Adrien was up in his kwami’s face half a second later, glaring. “You knew?!”

 

“Duh.”

 

Adrien opened his mouth, but no words formed and he shut it closed again.

 

Plagg gave him a sideways glance. “You really didn’t know?”

 

“Does it look like I knew the whole time?” Scrubbing his face with his hands, he took a seat next to the black creature. “God, Marinette. I feel… I feel…”

 

“Flattered?” Plagg supplied, biting another chunk out of his camembert.

 

“No. I mean, a little. I-I appreciate… her feelings but…”

 

“Then try going out with her.” Plagg shrugged nonchalantly. “The new relationship thing could really help you with your social skills.”

 

“Not funny, Plagg.” Sighing, he leaned back and let his head dangle from the couch. “Marinette’s one of the first few friends I’ve made.”

 

“And your point?”

 

“I don’t… I…”

 

“Honestly, kid, I’m not really following your mood.” Throwing the leftover camembert in the air, he caught the whole thing in his mouth and chewed happily. “You’ve handled girls falling all over you before. Why is Marinette so difficult?”

 

“It’s different with her, Plagg. She’s… cute and funny, a little clumsy, and when she gets flustered her cheeks always turn into this pretty shade of pink where her freckles get all-” He stopped abruptly and groaned, digging the heels of his palms into his eyeballs. “Shiiiiiit.”

 

“Ah, so it’s like that, eh?” Plagg lifted himself in the air and floated next to the blond’s ear. “You have a crush on her!” Plagg sang, followed by a hysterical laugh.

 

And that was when Adrien’s heart stopped.

 

And came back to life a second later only to do a crazy marathon around his lungs.

 

He  _ what _ ?

 

“Oh God, this is rich.” Plagg wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. “You’re more of a tomcat than I thought!”

 

Adrien balled his shirt with his fist, clutching and twisting the fabric to help slow down his heart. It did no help. Swallowing, he croaked out, “I love Ladybug.”

 

“And you’re a bit smitten with Marinette as well, apparently.”

 

“That’s not true!” He sat bolt upright, his mind racing and dizzy. “That’s not… true.”

 

“Or…”

 

“Or?”

 

“Nahh, forget it.”

 

“Plagg!”

 

“Alright, alright. Get me another slice of camembert and I’ll talk.”

 

Adrien growled and made to grab the little kwami, but the ancient creature just zipped away. “Tell me!”

 

Letting out a bored breath, Plagg said, “You’re in heat.”

 

The boy blinked. And again. In heat? What does that mean? He didn’t feel particularly hot. The temperature has risen, sure, but not to the point where he -

 

“You’re part cat, idiot.” Plagg said. “You’ve got the hormones of a feline. Spring’s coming. We animals have a little adult fun during those times. Ring any bells yet?”

 

Animals. Spring. He glanced at Plagg, at his chest, and back again to Plagg. When the image clicked, his mouth dropped to the floor, horrified. “Mating season?!” He squeaked.

 

“Bingo. Now, the camembert?”

 

“You can’t be serious! You didn’t tell me that I’d… I’d…”

 

“Be horny for an entire season? Yeah, it slipped my mind. Whoops.”

 

“Can’t I just turn it off or something?”

 

Plagg laughed.

 

“I’m serious! How am I supposed to survive spring if all I want to do is…” He gulped heavily, not daring to finish that sentence. “Fix it!”

 

“Oh relax, kid. You won’t jump every girl you see in an alley. At least, most of my kittens didn’t.”

 

“Terrific.” He felt drained suddenly, his nerves and emotions addled to a blob. Plopping back on the couch, he rested his head on the armrest, his hands cupped under his hair. He stared at the ceiling for a minute or ten, trying to piece together what the day had brought.

 

Marinette liked him. Well, if he were brave enough to say it, she might actually feel something deeper for him than just a simple ‘like’. She had said that she  _ loved  _ him. Unconsciously, his heartbeat skipped for the hundredth time that afternoon. How could he have not noticed it? The way she would stutter only around him and no one else, the way she would smile so much brighter when they actually did talk to each other, and especially the way she looked at him. It was almost like the way he would look at his lady - filled with admiration, hope, and joy.

 

But he didn’t look at her like that. He saw her as a precious friend. He could never bring himself to break her heart. She was fragile, he thought, and she was too kind and selfless to press the issue. She wasn’t like Chloe - thank God for that - who was extremely pushy in her approach. He was so glad that a girl like Marinette could have such deep affection for him, and it brought a gentle smile to his lips.

 

Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Princess. He repeated those names, thinking that it might not have as big of an impact as earlier, but it still did. He still felt the blush creeping up his cheeks. He still felt the weight and pull on his chest.

 

“Does this mating season stuff do weird things to your perspective of other people?” Adrien asked.

 

“If by weird things you mean that you see a lot of girls as sexy vixens, then yes.”

 

He groaned in dismay.

 

“Joking. Err, partially. But on a completely serious note, if you’re wondering about Marinette, you should see for yourself tomorrow. It’s possible that you might just be having physical desires for her,” Adrien flinched, “or it might be something even more disgusting. Human emotions. Yuck.”

 

Honestly, he didn’t know which was worse.

 

After a sleepless night, he was a wreck. He didn’t bother trying to brush his hair. He skipped breakfast. He forgot a few textbooks and had to come back twice to get them, much to the annoyance of his chauffeur the Gorilla. Nathalie had clicked her tongue at him, but he’d just sent her a wary shrug and left. He was too tired, both mentally and physically, to deal with professionalism.

 

He dragged his feet on the ground, mouthing greetings to his schoolmates and bumping into several pillars. By the time he made it to class, he was grateful beyond belief. Landing his butt on his bench, he dropped his bag from his shoulder and closed his eyes with a loud whine.

 

“Uh, okay, wow,” Nino said beside him. “You look horrible, man.”

 

“Thanks. I try.”

 

“Rough night after those freaky earthquakes?”

 

“You could say that.” He pressed his index finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose. “Damn, I need a nap.”

 

“I could totes cover you if you want.”

 

“No. They’ll ask questions. I just need a high dose of caffeine, is all.”

 

“Comin’ right up.” Nino stood and fired a gun sign at him. “My treat.”

 

“That’d be great, man. Thanks.”

 

The boys fist-bumped before Nino left the classroom.

 

Struggling to keep his eyes open, he tried to focus on something other than sweet darkness. He should’ve asked for Nino’s headphones. Some music could slap him awake.

 

He sighed and turned to rummage around his bag for his regular earpiece when a strand of dark hair came into view.

 

Blood rushed into his brain and he felt light-headed.

 

Marinette was behind him, unexpectedly early, and she was asleep. Her arms were folded on her desk, her face half buried in them as quiet snores escaped her mouth.

 

Her mouth. Her goddamn mouth. So pink and fine and kissable.

 

He set his jaw and restrained his thoughts from wandering too deep into the gutter. This was not the time to be a hormonal teenager.

 

Fortunately, Alya wasn’t here yet. Chloe and Sabrina weren’t in the classroom either, even though their bags were there. They might come back soon, a rational part reminded him, but another part of him wanted to savor the limited time of staring at this girl.

 

She was adorable when she slept. Pure peacefulness etched into her features, making her look like a lost angel. Her pigtails were messy and the black locks laid over the wood like a carpet.  His fingers twitched for a stray hair that fell over her forehead. Lifting them, he carefully brushed it back, double checking for any unwanted spectators.

 

Marinette stirred, moaning something he couldn’t hear, and he pulled back.

 

Her brilliant blue eyes opened slowly.

 

Adrien was frozen.  _ Turn back _ , his head screamed.  _ If you value your life, turn back now. _

 

But he didn’t want to. He couldn’t.

 

She rose from the desk, yawning and rubbing at her sleepy eyes.

 

And their gazes locked.

 

Green on blue, their exhaustion sapped out and replaced with alertness. Marinette gasped first and slammed her back to the desk behind her. She looked… scared? Adrien’s heart dropped at the sight. He wasn’t used to that and he definitely didn’t like it.

 

He should say something. He should answer her statement from yesterday. But what was it he was supposed to utter? She loved him. And he was in a stupid mating-season-crisis.

 

_ “Hey, I would absolutely love to make out with you right now but I’m afraid that that’s just my hormones talking.” _

 

How was he supposed to explain?

 

Marinette made a sound like a strangled puppy before sprinting off her seat.

 

“Marinette, wait!” Adrien called out, but she was already out the door. The fatigue that he had been bringing with him all morning was kicked out of his bones as he followed her trail. She was running and avoiding him as if he were a psychotic serial killer out to stab her. He shouted her name again, but it landed on deaf ears.

 

She pushed opened the girls’ bathroom door, forcing him to stop his pursuit. He banged on the wood after it swooshed closed. “Come on, Marinette.” He sighed. “We should talk about this.”

 

A sob.

 

As if his hand had been burned, he stumbled back and nearly lost his balance. She was crying.

 

He felt sick and guilty and even more so with each passing hiccup that Marinette made. Though it was muffled, he could still very much hear her distress. He wanted to reach out to her, comfort her. Girls’ bathroom be damned, but the thing that held him back was his own blank brain. What was he supposed to do? Scoop her into his arms and declare that he too returned her feelings?

 

He gripped his jacket right at the spot where his heart was. He would do it if he truly did feel that way. Ladybug was his loved one. He knew that the chances he had with the superhero were slim, but he still hung from a string of hope. He wasn’t willing to let that go just yet.

 

Staring at the door, he placed his forehead on it, not really caring anymore about the curious gazes he was probably attracting. 

 

And he realized that Marinette had also thrown him another string of hope, one that was so much thicker and sturdier, and she was waiting at the end with a welcoming smile. He also realized, with so much hesitation and clearness at the same time, that he was holding on to it too.

 

Marinette was in there, sad and lonely and confused, and it was because of him. Was she going to cut that string before he even began to climb?

 

“Marinette, please.” He tried knocking. Silence was the only reply he got. “I care about you, Marinette. It’s just that… things are complicated right now. I’m not sure how-”

 

The door swung forward and he almost headbutted Marinette in the nose. Yelping, she jumped back and so did he.

 

Her eyes were rimmed with red, the irises dull and lifeless. A vicious pang pierced him as he took in the sight.

 

Quickly, she ducked her head and walked past him. “I can take rejection.” She was saying, “I just need some privacy to deal with it.”

 

“Look at me,” Adrien grabbed her wrist, effectively halting her. “Marinette. Look at me.”

 

“No. You don’t have to sugar coat it, Adrien.” She struggled to wrench his hand away. “I screamed at you.  _ Screamed. _ I know that you would never go for a… c-confession like that.” With a final, strong tug she managed to free herself. “Forget it ever happened.”

 

“I thought about it all night.” Adrien willed her eyes to look up, look at him as he had requested, but they stayed glued to her shoes. By her tense posture, she seemed ready to flee at any second.

 

She gulped and took a step back. “And?”

 

“And… I-I… I umm…”

 

Sniffing, she covered her nose and mouth with one hand, another wave of tears forming in her lashes. “I knew it.”

 

This time, when she backed away, he let her. Every step she took, the farther the distance she formed between them, was another crack to his spirit. Because, honestly, how was he supposed to explain?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sin up ahead! Enjoy, my naughty friends!

“Marinette?”

 

The girl shrieked in shock, nearly falling off her chair. When she realized who was calling her, she bolted up and away in a speed that even a cheetah couldn’t keep up with.

 

Adrien sighed gloomily.

 

It was lunch break, the sun high in the clouds and yet he hadn’t made any progress with Marinette’s mood. All throughout their morning periods, he’d just stared into space, working his brain overtime with thinking of ways he could strike up a conversation with the girl behind him. He had tried twisting around to ask for a pencil - a pathetic excuse, he knew, because he had a number of them stashed in his bag - but Marinette had just gone red like a tomato, stuttered something incoherent, and pulled up her textbook to block his eyes from hers.

 

Another failed attempt was during chemistry. He noticed that she was having trouble with her matches and, ever the smooth guy, had sauntered up a tad bit too eagerly to help out. Let’s just say that that had ended with a huge bang indeed. Adrien patted the blackened patch of his shirt idly.

 

And this was his third, in the middle of the school’s courtyard, at the head of a picnic table, completely rejected once again. He watched as Marinette’s pigtails bounced on her back before disappearing altogether through a hallway.

 

He slumped on one of the benches and put his head in his hands.

 

“Marinette,” Her name came out in a whoosh, almost an exhale, as he tasted the syllables for perhaps the twentieth time. “Marinette. Dupain. C-Cheng.”

 

His throat closed up at the end and he didn’t know why. He also didn’t know why his heart was still hammering in his ribs.

 

It’s been nearly twenty four hours since her (sort of) confession, and his brain was still short circuited. She still seemed to radiate this warm aura despite the distance between them. She still had a hint of a gentle blush, one that he remembered as the blush she wore when she was a bit flustered. She still smelled so strongly of butter and chocolate, as if the bakery’s scent followed her everywhere.

 

Or was that just him?

 

He recalled not having realized these details two days ago or the days before it. He had only ever seen her as Marinette - his shy and clutzy classmate. What has changed in him? He confirmed that he was still very much in love with Ladybug. The thought of the red hero still sent a tingle of admiration down his spine. He was still looking forward to their next fight together. He still wanted to see her.

 

But Marinette, goddamn  _ Marinette _ , was like a plague for his mentality, his consciousness, and his emotions. She did more than make him tingle; she made him shiver as if he’d just got done with an Ice Bucket Challenge. The mere mention of her jump-started his pulse. He was so tense and so focused on her that it was starting to scare him.

 

“Are you quite finished?” Plagg mumbled from the boy’s pocket, clearly not satisfied with the events that the day brought on. “Because I am famished and in need of a snack. Some camembert, if you will. And maybe a soda.”

 

“Can’t you let me mope for a few more hours in peace?” Adrien grumbled.

 

“No. Hunger calls, kid! Chop, chop, the cheese awaits!”

 

Tired, he rose from his spot and went for his bag. And a light bulb flickered over his head.

 

“Plagg,” Adrien whispered. “Tell you what. I’ll give you all the cheese that you want today.”

 

“Oh,” The little black kwami paused. “Um, yay?”

 

“Buuuuut,” Chat Noir’s mischievous grin appeared suddenly, as lively as ever. “You’re gonna have to go along with my plan for tonight.”

 

“Ah.” Plagg clicked his tongue. “Figures.”

 

Chuckling, Adrien rewinded a scene behind his eyes, making sure to cover up any loopholes that his impromptu arrangement held, and checked whether his flying cat friend was contently full or just plain full. He was going to need max batteries later, after all.

 

Hours passed on, if not a bit too sluggish for his nerves, and he finally found himself back in his room, the sky a dark shade of onyx. He bounced on the balls of his feet for a second to let the last of his jitteriness flow away. “It’s just Marinette,” He reminded himself. He repeated those three words again and again until all tension was drained out into his carpet.

 

He had it all figured out. He was going to swoop in as Chat Noir, the cool and charming black cat who she couldn’t possibly find as a threat, and sweet-talk his way into digging as much information as he could. Why was she so in love with boring old Adrien? When had that started? Was she planning on ever talking to him again? And the most crucial question: what was it that she wanted him to do? He was going to find out the answers to all that, salute a goodbye, and vault back home. Simple as that.

 

“Plagg, Claws Out!”

 

The transformation swirled over his figure, bathing him in black and injecting confidence into his blood. Chat Noir extended his baton and dove into the night.

 

Spring had already arrived, he noticed for the first time that day. No sign of snow, birds and little animals perching on trees, and a few shrubs consisting early bloomers. He stopped and picked a rose, a cheesy thing to do, but it fitted the situation. Tucking the stem between his teeth, he continued to journey over rooftops and lamp posts until he spotted the bakery. It was closed at this late hour, and the shop itself was dark, but there was light emanating from a window which he guessed lead to Marinette’s room.

 

With a cat’s stealth and eeriness, he landed on her balcony and pulled the frame of her window up with a clawed finger. “Princess,” He crooned, “Your knight has-”

 

A horrified scream sliced the air and he wasn’t sure if it came from him or the girl in front of him.

 

Words died on his tongue. The saliva in his mouth evaporated suddenly and left his throat scorching. Standing in the middle of the room was Marinette, her hair loose and damp, and she was desperately clutching a towel over her - oh good Lord- naked body. Now, there were a few things that he managed to register. One was being that she looked positively lovely with her hair splayed over her shoulders and back like that and he had to restrain an appreciative growl. Second was that she had freckles dotting her pale arms, and her legs looked so much longer without any jeans covering them. And third being that  _ he was still staring. _

 

“I… guhh… I-I’m so…” He wondered distantly if he had accidentally swallowed his tongue while he was oggling. With his body half in and half out of her window, he found it hard to will his legs to work. He knew he had to get out of there  _ now _ , but fuck if he wasn’t tempted to step inside.

 

So, it was Marinette who decided for him. “Pervert!” She screeched. Her hands found purchase at a hairbrush and she flung it at him. “The hell with you!” Again, she grabbed another object and threw. 

 

“W-Wait!” He caught the things before they smacked him in the head. “I didn’t know you just got out of the shower! I’m sorry!”

 

She screamed once more and threw a basket full of yarn at him. This time, it was a bullseye. He fell back and nearly whacked his skull on the metal railing. The air in his lungs was knocked right of him as his back made contact with the floor.

 

Marinette slammed her window shut and pulled the curtains tight. 

 

“Princess!” Scrambling on his knees, he rapped at the glass in futile. “It was a mistake, I swear!”

 

“Get lost!”

 

“I only came here to check up on you.”

 

A loud huff. And then the drapes parted just a fraction to reveal Marinette’s furious face. Her mouth formed the word, “What?”

 

Keeping his voice as clear as he could, he answered, “I want to talk. Just for awhile. Please?”

 

She seemed to be weighing her options as she looked him over. He tried to suppress the amusement and lust he felt as to not alert her to his dirty mind. She was adorable when she pouted like that. She was even more so with that blush, angry or not. A darker part of his imagination sprung up images of a few ways he could bring that pretty shade of red for an encore.

 

_ Easy there, big guy,  _ his more rational brain snapped.  _ Don’t you jump on her now. Even though she does look magnificently delicious. _

 

Finally, the girl at the other end sighed. “Fine. Stay there first.” And then she was gone.

 

A minute or two passed and all Chat Noir could think about was what exactly she tried to hide under that pathetic excuse of a towel…

 

He groaned and laid back on the wall. Damn, he never knew just how much desire a girl could inflict on someone until tonight.

 

Said girl cued his entrance with a grumpy, “Come in.”

 

She sat on her spinny chair, wearing a white shirt and pink boy shorts. She scowled at him. “What do you want, kitty?”

 

Chat Noir swallowed before allowing his bravado to surface. “Why, is it a sin for a faithful knight to see his princess?” He purred. With as much suave he could muster, he handed her the rose he had been holding.

 

She accepted it, not flattered in the least. “It is if said knight were to climb up her tower only to peep.”

 

“I deeply regret that.”  _ No, I really, really don’t.  _ “But my intentions are as pure as your heart, princess.”

 

“And what are these ‘intentions’?” To emphasize, she made air quotes on the last word.

 

“As Paris’s dutiful hero, I have an obligation to see its citizen’s safety, you see. You were a victim of today’s akuma attack, and I’m here to make sure that you’re okay.”

 

She still didn’t take his bait. “And Alya? She was more of a victim than I was.”

 

“Ohhh…” He paused. “Well, I would love to visit her, but unfortunately I don’t have her address.”

 

Marinette raised an eyebrow but shrugged in the end. “Alright. That’s a fair excuse.”

 

Chat Noir’s ears perked up. Feeling bold, he glided across the floor and went to stand in front of her. He attempted to take her hand, but she swatted him away with her rose. She smirked when he moaned in protest. “Not so fast, kitty. You’re still in trouble.”

 

_ Oh, I’m afraid I certainly am. _ His systems abruptly shut down when he caught a whiff of her shampoo. It was a delicate smell of strawberries, and it didn’t help that she hadn’t tied her hair. It still hung over her face and flowed down to her collarbone. His eyes wandered south out of its own accord and he saw a hint of pink, and it wasn’t her shorts…

 

“Chat!” Marinette exclaimed and raised her shirt higher.

 

Blinking, he focused on the present and was leveled with blue eyes. A deeper color of red was splattered over her nose and cheeks. And then he realized it. He had eye-fucked her and nearly dipped his head down the front of her shirt.

 

Instinctively, he backed away, but he didn’t get too far as his back hit her table. “I-I’m so sorry!” He yelped. “I wasn’t in control and I just…”

 

Marinette, too embarrassed, whipped her head to the side, breaking eye contact.

 

He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He gazed straight ahead, and his heart fell to his stomach. On the far wall, the pictures and magazine clippings were gone.

 

He made a strangled sound behind his throat.

 

“Um, kitty?”

 

Slowly, he stared at her.

 

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said, “This isn’t a good night. You should go.”

 

“Princess…”

 

She got up and walked towards him. His heart skipped. ”I’m fine, and Alya’s fine, so your job is finished.” She touched his chest then and her eyes went wide as saucers. “Whoa, what the…”

 

Without her saying it, he already knew. His heartbeat was too fast. His head spun at the proximity. He was grateful for the table behind him so he could dig his hands at the edges instead of her hips. But that resolve was diminishing with every breath he took.

 

Tantalizingly slow, her eyes went up to meet his. She didn’t say anything.

 

His right hand slithered around her and found purchase on the small of her back. He pulled her flush against him, and he reveled at the feel of her. He didn’t complain at the sexy moan she emitted either.

 

Both palms were pressed between them. She stuttered, “C-Chat… what are you doing?”

 

“I don’t know,” He whispered in her ear, and it was the most truthful thing he’d said all day. He brushed the tip of his nose along the line of her jaw. “I don’t know.”

 

She sighed, the gesture ruffling his hair and warming his skin in sweet torture. “This is dangerous…”

 

“You should know by now that I live with danger,” He chuckled at the soft thump she sent to his abdomen. His second hand came to play, tangling itself with her hair, and he purposely scraped his claw down the back of her neck. She mewled and shuddered visibly, stumbling into him more. The chains that he had wounded around him was beginning to crack and he promptly gasped when he saw that this very girl was the one who was freeing him. Her fingers walked up to his neck, right at the base of his quickening pulse. He purred, encouraging her, and she obliged by slipping through his hair and behind his ears, behind his head, and then she  _ tugged. _

 

He braced against the table, surprised at her demanding hands as it roamed his locks, eliciting a groan from him, and her other hand traveled down to his belt. “Chat Noir…” She breathed. Her top lip brushed his bottom lip, and they both inhaled sharply.

 

He should stop. He had to stop. This wasn’t the reason he came. He only wanted to ask her a few things. Playing with her like this; it was wrong. He was Chat Noir now, not Adrien, and the black cat had no right to touch her this way. He was supposed to stay in an alley and be a good feline, watching her from afar and wait for his lady to pick him up.

 

“Marinette-”

 

They locked eyes, green to blue, and he froze. They were big with anticipation and want. Her lips were parted slightly, her chest heaving, and he wavered. Why? Why hadn’t he realized how beautiful Marinette was? Why hadn’t he noticed that perfectly curved waist, those constellations of freckles, these wicked fingers, and that pair of pink lips? Why hadn’t he liked her before?

 

He felt her lean in at that moment. His princess, standing on her tiptoes, holding him by his hair, was going to do something that was going to change everything entirely.

 

With a strength he didn’t know existed, he held up a finger to her approaching mouth. “Adrien,” he practically panted. “You love him, don’t you?”

 

She halted, a bit more conscious. “What?”

 

“I heard. Don’t ask how.” Hating the look of hurt in her irises, he planted a kiss to her forehead and let the tip of his nails dance over her delicate neck. “Do you love him? Truly?”

 

“I do,” She answered without hesitation. “But he doesn’t feel the same way.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“All I saw was pity in his eyes.” Her voice cracked at the end. She swallowed and continued, “I’m not his type. I knew that. But I loved him nonetheless.”

 

“How come?”

 

She tilted her head back to give him a quizzical look. “What’s with the interrogation, kitty? Are you possibly jealous?”

 

He scoffed, whether at her question or the sheer irony of it, he didn’t know. He glanced at the empty wall again. “You’re done with him, then?”

 

“No.” To his shock and excitement, she gripped at him once again. “And you’re not done with Ladybug either.”

 

“Fair point.” He in turn reached for her light pink bra strap, pulling and snapping it back to her shoulder. She jumped. “So, is it wrong that we seem to be infatuated with each other?”

 

“Oh, definitely.” He felt her lips finally,  _ finally,  _ press against his awaiting ones, and as quick as it had happened, she retracted. “And is it wrong that I’m a little afraid?”

 

“If it makes you feel any better,” His last restraint was violently torn apart as Marinette moved to the spot just below his jaw, nipping at the sensitive skin there and driving him farther to oblivion. An animalistic need took over his body and he whirled, switching their positions so fast that a box of pencils was sent flying across the room, but none of them cared. Marinette, being pushed back, slid up the top of her table until her ass was firmly sitting on it, and Chat took the chance of slipping between her thighs. “I’m a little afraid, too.” He kissed her once, fast and short, and tried not to linger too much on the taste. Talk now, make-outs soon. “But I swear. If you give me the slightest permission, I will take you right here, right now.” He kissed her again, this time making sure he used his tongue to tease at her bottom lip. She tasted so thickly of sugar. “Because I want you so bad. And I can’t figure out why.”

 

“I want you, too.” She was just as desperate as he was, he noticed with a jolt. She grabbed at his bell and wrapped her legs around him, effectively trapping him. Well, he wasn’t planning on escaping, either way. “But before that, I need to make sure of something.”

 

“What is it?” He placed a hand on each of her thigh, impatient.

 

“Is it alright if I still love Adrien?”

 

He let out a breathless laugh. Honestly, what was he supposed to do? This girl was something else. He couldn’t, for the life of him, get in her head and now here he was, wrapped around her little finger as they shared the same air. “I’m more than okay with it.”

 

She kissed him.

 

And he forgot how to think afterwards.

 

Feverish. Raw. Passionate. It was all affection, lust, and hunger wrapped up in one. For what seemed like decades, Chat let himself drown in the sensations of Marinette, of how soft and oh so sinful that her lips and tongue were. They wasted no time in savoring each other since they’ve droned it out long enough. He forced her teeth to open a path for him, memorizing the sound of her moan, before he teased her. Swirling and fighting, they challenged each other for dominance, neither of them backing down or letting the other win. He grunted when she ran her rounded nails down his shoulder blades and he wished that his suit was gone. He needed to feel all of her.

 

Not satisfied yet, he ran his gloved hand up her legs, occasionally dipping under the line of her shorts but never going too far. She responded by tightening her hold and panting out his name. Smirking, he pushed on with his relentless mouth, using her dazed mind to his advantage so he could roam more freely. Something dripped down his chin, and the mere thought of it perhaps being Marinette’s drool flipped a feral switch inside him.

 

He growled when he felt the absence of her hands in his hair but was quickly replaced with a moan when she slid them forward and under his bell. He felt her unzipping him, and he was thankful for the small release. Though the zipper ended only below his ribs, Marinette didn’t leave him. She rubbed at his bare shoulders first, marveling his muscles, and she went down and down…

 

“Fuck…” Chat Noir whimpered. “No idea… how good… you were…”

 

Her hot tongue darted out and swiped at his lips. “I could say the s-same for you, kitty,” She smiled shakily. “You’re a good French kisser.”

 

“I can give you a lot more if you lose the top.” He grinned at her, a creeping blush already on its way to her features. He thanked his mask for concealing his own.

 

She crossed her arms in front of her and Chat found himself at lost of words as he watched her take the garment off, tossing it to the side with shy laugh. “I’ve never done this before.”

 

“You think I have?” He raked his eyes over her creamy torso, stopping too long at her chest. “Wow…”

 

“Cat got your tongue?” She giggled before leaning down to press a kiss on his neck. 

 

“M-More like a princess, really…” He rubbed her bare back in possessive circles, sometimes teasing the clasp of her bra and earning himself an eager squirm.

 

He bowed his head and captured her throat between his teeth, nibbling and biting and leaving red marks in his wake. When he reached the spot where her neck and shoulder met, he bit extra hard. Marinette eeped. “Chat!”

 

“Mine.” He said shortly, but there was something wild and urgent about that one word that sent the both of them at the tip of ruin. And he looked forward to shattering in her arms. “Where’s your bed?” He asked suddenly.

 

“O-On the… next level.” She pointed a quivering finger to a ladder.

 

He shook his head. “Too far.” He abruptly grabbed her by the bottom, hoisting her into his embrace as he guided them to the wall. The wall which previously had his pictures but now stood bare and vacant. He mourned at the lost, because with it gone, it meant that Marinette was starting to erase him out of her memories.

 

Chat slammed her back to it and proceeded to devour her lips. A needy gasp echoed in his ears and he took it as an invitation to go further. He tugged at the ends of her shorts until they fell in a heap around her ankles. He couldn’t peel his eyes off her legs as she kicked the material away and bestowed him a pair of white panties.

 

“I wish I could undress you,” Marinette whined.

 

“You wish you can undress Adrien, not me.” He knelt down then so he could trap the side of her underwear between his teeth. He refused to look at her expression. Hurt, guilt, or confirmation; he didn’t need to know.

 

He felt her fingers tangle in his hair. He paused. “I love him,” She said. “But I chose to let  _ you  _ do this, Chat Noir.”

 

A second passed. And he released her.

 

Marinette fell limp as she slid down the wall, Chat only managing to stop her from hitting the floor. Engulfing her in a tight hug, he rocked them back and forth, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as his rational mind came back to life.

  
What had he done?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien is a goner

Marinette couldn’t tell you how many times she’s daydreamed about kissing a certain blond in her bedroom, or how she’s fantasized about getting him to undress her and letting him have his way with her, because she’s honestly lost count. Though she didn’t take herself to be one of those girls who went off actually  _ doing it _ , she still wondered at times if she should just be bold, try to catch his eye with a flirtatious gesture or a suggestive wink. Or maybe make him twitch with jealousy as she tried to romance a cute guy.

 

Those ideas were thrown out the window the moment they flitted through her brain, because at the time she thought, “Which side of me could he possibly find appealing?”

 

If she tried to flirt with him, she’d probably bite her tongue and become a floundering mess of giberish. If she tried to wink at him, her head would most likely turn into a giant tomato before she could even make eye contact with him. If she tried to make him jealous… oh please, he barely knew she existed. Jealous? Ha! Being the perfectly nice boy that he was, he’d probably clap her on the shoulder and congratulate her on getting a boyfriend.

 

The idea of confessing to him was the most terrifying. And the idea of being with someone else was just as unsettling.

 

Now? Now she questioned her own sanity and, perhaps, her lifespan because being there, in Chat Noir’s arms - her  _ partner’s  _ arms - made her want to curl up under the blanket and die of embarassment.

 

She whimpered for the fifth time, burying her face deeper into Chat’s neck and letting out a ragged breath.

 

She had just blurted out her deepest feelings to Adrien just yesterday. She had avoided him like he was a deadly plague just hours ago. And at the dead of night, with Paris’s lights dotting colors on her walls, she had let another boy run his tongue all over hers. These last few of days, she had witnessed her rational mind shut down and her crazy heart run rampage. And tonight, she had let herself drown in her darkest affections towards the last person she wanted to hurt.

 

Chat Noir brushed her hair back gently, his movements slow and careful, as if he wasn’t sure that he should be touching her at all.

 

Marinette wanted to say something. But the muscles in her body wouldn’t work and her throat closed up with every unspoken word. The moment Chat had retracted from her, all of her energy seemed to go with him and left her motionless on the floor. She couldn’t, for the life of her, get her mind straight. She loved Adrien, and she desired Chat Noir. She had pushed Adrien away, and she had kissed Chat Noir.  _ What was wrong with her? _

 

Suddenly, she felt him shift. Her numb fingers tightened on his shoulder on intinct, afraid that he might leave, and to her horror he seemed to realize this as she felt his mouth descend on her temple, whispering quietly, “It’s okay.”

 

Marinette hated the crack in his voice. She hated the unease in his posture. She hated the air of awkwardness surrounding them. She hated herself for not having enough restraint. She hated that this stupid mating season was resurfacing her old attraction to her best friend. She hated herself.

 

He shifted again, but he still held on tight as he stood up with her in his embrace and, with his nimble limbs, jumped soundlessly to the second level and on her bed. She felt the soft matress on her back when he lowered her on to it, getting englufed in her thick blanket a second later. “I’ll be right back,” he promised.

 

She wanted to protest, fear bubbling in her stomach once again at the thought of him leaping for her window, but it quickly faded to relief when he merely went to retrieve her discarded clothes. He handed them to her, green eyes darting to the side, and said, “Put these on before you catch a cold, princess. I won’t look.”

 

But she didn’t do as she was told, or at least, not immediately. Even though he had turned around, tail swishing and shoulders hunched, she still had the urge to reach out and hold him. Without thinking, she stretched out her fingers towards him.

 

_ “You wish you can undress Adrien, not me.” _

 

Those words echoed in her ears like a broken recording, repeating his flat tone over and over again and rendering her in a pool of guilt and denial. She wanted him - Chat Noir - and she had pushed aside her crush in order to feel better. How could she call herself worthy of Adrien’s love? And above all, how could she call herself worthy of Chat’s friendship?

 

Fingers halting and tears welling, she pulled her clothes on and willed Ladybug’s bravery seep into her bones, walking around the bed and facing the boy.

 

Slowly, his eyes lifted. “I’m sorry,” he started, “I shouldn’t… shouldn’t have…” He took a breath, fiddling with his claws nervously. “I didn’t have control over… umm…”

 

“We shouldn’t have done that.” Marinette agreed.

 

“I won’t so much as lay a claw on you ever again, princess. I can assure you.” With a forced smile that she has seen more times than she liked, he gave her a two-finger salute. “Cat’s honor.”

 

“We shouldn’t have done that.” Marinette repeated, gulping and crouching down, her nose leveled with his collarbone. “We both knew that. And yet… we still…”

 

“Kissed?”

 

“Well, that’s an understatement.” Marinette snorted. Experimentally, she reached up and ran her fingertips down the line of his jaw. He shuddered visibly.

 

“Princess. Don’t.” He screwed his eyes shut before grabbing her wrist. “You have no idea how dangerous that is.”

 

“I trust you, Chat.” Using her other hand, she cupped his cheek and brought him closer. He was clearly tense, seeming to be fighting down his raging hormones, but only because she was experiencing the same thing, she knew that it wouldn’t work if he just pent it up. Sooner or later, they’d burst and take over him, and if he ever showed it to a civilian, then his name would be dragged into the mud too deep to be clean again. “Just let it out, Chat. I can understand.”

 

“No. No, that… that wouldn’t be fair to you. You have Adrien.”

 

“And you have Ladybug.” Their foreheads touched, the contact barely there but still sent a shock to both parties.

 

“She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want a romantic relationship with me.” He sighed. “And I respect that. Like I always have.”

 

A new flood of guilt washed over her at the memory of them, her alter ego and him, being too intimate on a rooftop that she feared would change their partnership too greatly, and she had asked him to keep a proper distance between them. She’d thought that it’d be the best for the both of them, to just ignore the expanding desire in their bodies and go through the season as normally as they could, but after tonight she found out too late that that couldn’t have worked even if they physically chained themselves to the ground. It was too much, the temptation. To be loved and touched and held; they both wanted it all too badly.

 

“I guess we both can’t have what we want.” Marinette murmured.

 

Chat stubbornly shook his head. “You have Adrien.”

 

“I don’t want him to go out with me out of pity.”

 

He fell silent for a minute before finally running his hands through her hair. And he tugged. Hard.

 

Marinette gasped at the abrupt roughness, but she didn’t mind. His pupils were blown wide, drinking her up and never letting her escape. “It’s mating season for us, princess.” He grounded out. “You know what that means, don’t you?” He dipped his head down and nibbled her ear possesively, elicting another gasp from her. “Back away now. While you still can.” A lick down her neck. “I’m an alley cat, just like you said.” A bite to her shoulder. “And we alley cats aren’t fit to be pampered by a beautiful princess.”

 

“I’m not t-the royal princess that you think I am, kitty.” She suppressed a whine when he gripped her hair more firmly. “I-I… can help you.”  _ It’s the least I could do. _

 

“What about your prince?” He pounced on her then, making a grab for her wrists and pinning them over her head. Marinette’s breath stopped in her throat. “Why settle for Chat Noir when you could get your hands on Adrien Agreste?”

 

“Because I can’t give him anything significant.” Her gaze was cast to the side. “My feelings aren’t enough. I have no confidence when it comes to him.” At the instant their eyes met again, determination was etched into her irises. With a playful smirk, she continued, “But if it’s just a cat, I can totally free up my time to give out some cat treats.”

 

He was stunned at first, blinking and opening and closing his mouth like he was still digesting her words, but quickly regained his Chat Noir sass as he grinned down at her. “And what kind of treats are we talkin’ about here, purr-incess?”

 

To say that she was ecstatic to finally hear him pun was a bit too overwhelming, because honestly, she still thought his puns were ridiculous, but at that moment, she truly was relieved to hear it. “I live on top of a bakery, kitty. Whatever it is you want, it’s definitely here.”

 

“Well then,” He lowered himself down just enough to let her feel his heat. Still trapping her hands, he brushed his lips teasingly over hers. “I paw-sitively want-”

 

A harsh beeping sound ripped apart the air of tension, sending the boy up his feet in alert and dissappointment.

 

Marinette bit her lip, straightened up, and walked over to him, placing her still trembling palms on his chest. “You should go.” She whispered, despite the longing in her heart.

 

He blinked. “I should,” he said, clasping one of her hands in his.

 

She only let the contact last for another second until she guided him over to her window.

 

A second beep went off.

 

“I’ll… see you later?” Marinette tried.

 

He paused. “Yeah. I mean,  _ yeah _ ,  we’ll have a  _ chat  _ again, I promise. Just uhh…” He pointed lamely to the cold night beyond her balcony. “Better… get on out there.” A third beep.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“Goodnight, kitty.”

 

“Good… Goodnight, princess.”

 

A fourth beep.

 

“Oh, for the love of fish.” With a single clawed finger, he lifted her chin up and let their senses be filled with each other, lips moving in tandem for a short dance, before he stepped back and vaulted off.

 

A few seconds later, she could see a faint flash of green from a few rooftops away, and the night returned to peaceful silence.

 

Silence, besides her drumming heart against her tight ribcage.

 

“Was that a wise decision, Marinette?” Tikki floated over to sit on her charge’s shoulder. “I mean, you know, letting Chat Noir be intimate with your civilian self.”

  
  


“I’m not… so sure.” She reached up and touched her aching mouth. Well, at least the kwami didn’t mention their little strip. “It’s not exactly  _ wise _ , but I know that we can’t get through the season without… some help, I guess? I don’t know.”

 

“You could have just offered  _ help _ as Ladybug.” The kwami sighed. “Honestly, Marinette, how long are you going to keep your identities a secret?”

 

“As long as it takes, Tikki. It’s for the best.”

 

“You’re going to find out sooner or later, Marinette.” She flitted around the room for a minute before settling on top of her little bed. “Just don’t let it bite you in the behind when you do.”

 

~●~●~●~

 

The next morning, Adrien did some extra cleaning up to his appearance. Eat some mint before school? Check. Wear his most stylish jacket? Check. Fix up his hair? Ch-

 

“Yo, dude!” Nino interrupted his thoughts with a hand on his head, rubbing and ruffling his golden locks vigurously.

 

“Ah, come on!” Adrien growled, batting his best friend’s hand away and trying desperately to regain his neat hairdo. “Seriously, man?”

 

“Whoa, what’s gotten your panties in a twist?”

 

The blond sighed. “Nothin’. Forget it.”

 

“Oh, cool!” Nino fingered the hem of his jacket in wonder. “I’ve been eyeballing this shit since last month! Where’d you get it? Aw, nah, wait. Don’t answer that.” He shook his head and crossed his arms, looking all proffesional. “Now that I think about it, it’s not everyday you dress up.”

 

“I got a photoshoot after school.” He tried for a casual shrug.

 

“What?” Nino bounced forward, blocking his friend’s path. “That wasn’t in our memo for the day, bro.  _ We  _ were gonna hang in the ice cream shop, remember?”

 

Adrien slapped his forehead, groaning. “Shit.” He’d completely forgotten about their plans. On one hand, he’d be busted and his curious buddy would pounder him with questions, and the other was that he’d sacrifice one of his rare days off with his friends to keep a dumb secret. Not much of a choice, once he contemplated them. “Okay, okay, you got me. I dressed up.” He held up an urgent hand when he saw Nino open his mouth. “It’s no big deal, man. I just felt like it.”

 

“You? Pffftt. Something’s up. I can smell it.” He made a show of sniffing the air, leaning in closer to invade the other boy’s personal space. Adrien pushed him away with a snort. “Are you trying to impress a girl, perhaps?”

 

Guilty. “Wha? No. Psshh. No, no. Me? Impress someone? Nah. No.” Adrien cringed, folding his arms in front of him like a pathetic shield. “Can’t a guy just wear a dumb leather jacket to school and  _ not  _ get suspicious glares from you?”

 

Nino narrowed his eyes. “Why you lyin’, bro?”

 

“Am not. Look,” Adrien steered them to class, pushing open the door with his shoulder, eyes still locked on his friend. “Let’s just drop this subject. I got nothing hide!”

 

Dropping their bags, Adrien swivled his head to get his tablet from his bag. And he froze.

 

It was as if the clock had momentarily malfunctioned, bringing them all to a stop along with it. His breath was stuck in his lungs, refusing to come out, and his chest squeezed at his heart.

 

It was deja vu all over again, only this time she was awake. Her eyes were wide, like a deer caught in headlights, and she was gripping her sketchbook tightly against her. Her lips trembled between her teeth, like she was struggling to form words.

 

He swallowed his spit, nearly choking, but willed his mind to work. “M-Morning.” He coughed, scratching the back of his neck and glancing away. It was so much easier to imagine their next encounter rather than actually facing it in reality. In retrospect, he didn’t comprehend how he had initially thought he could woo her with his charisma, because let’s face it, without the leather suit, he was just a babbling duck. He had just wanted her to look at him and put aside the thought that he pitied her - because he honestly  _ didn’t _ pity her - and maybe even consider going out for lunch where they could finally straighten things out between them.

 

Though, in her defense, he didn’t actually  _ have  _ an answer to give her, or at least not yet. He was still whirling from last night, of how her kisses felt against his skin and how heavenly her breath felt brushing his hair-

 

_ Oh fuck. _

 

Biting his tongue, Adrien shook his head out of the abrupt flood of arousal. He was his civilian self! How could he think of his classmate that way? Whatever spark that had occurred in her bedroom last night had nothing to do with him. It was Chat Noir who had gotten the smooch of his life, not Adrien Agreste.

 

And yet Adrien Agreste was the one who had gotten her heart.

 

Wow, the situation was getting more and more complicated. He groaned internally, nearly missing her squeak. “H-Hi…”

 

His green eyes snapped up to her. And he grinned. She finally said something to him! “So um...  whatcha drawing?” Adrien asked, silently hoping his voice didn’t sound too desperate.

 

“Oh, uhh, I was just…” Marinette fidgeted in her seat, cheeks flaming and brows furrowed, her eyes refusing to meet his. “D-Designing… stuff.”

 

“Cool.” He nodded. Alya was also sitting next to her, an odd expression fixed on him. He raised his hand. “Hey, Alya.”

 

“Hey, Adrien.” Alya waved back before elbowing her seatmate, making her jump. “Yo, Mari, I’m gonna go run an errand real quick, ‘kay?”

 

“What?!” Marinette was utterly horrified. “C-Class is about to start-”

 

Alya waved her excuse off. “Nahh, girl, I got plenty of time. Nino!” It was the boy’s turn to jump. “You’re coming with me!”

 

“I… I am?” Nino raised an eyebrow. The two of them seemed to share a secret conversation with their eyes, looking from Adrien to Marinette and back again, until Nino clapped his hands. “Oh!  _ That  _ errand. Yeah, yeah, I’m totes comin’.”

 

The pair of friends stood up, nodded to each other, and bid goodbye. Adrien couldn’t help wondering what their fit of snickers meant though. What was up with those two? He saluted one last time to Nino before turning to Marinette. “Are they finally dating?” He asked without a second thought.

 

Marinette was glaring at the door when she heard him speak, snapping back to the real world. “What? Oh, them. I-I don’t really get it myself. Alya keeps making these hints but…” She shrugged. “She’s interested, I think. But don’t tell him that.” She finished her statement with a finger to her lips, her blue eyes full of mischief.

 

“Huh, funny.” He struggled to keep his smile from widening because, one: His best friend has been making eyes with that girl for months! He was going to go nuts with this bit of information. And two: She wasn’t stumbling with her words! And she was acting… playful? Flirtatious? God, they were making progress! “I totally ship them.” He laughed.

 

“You and me both.” She held out her fist to him, to which he immediately met with his own. If it weren’t for the bubbling glee in his gut at their rarely normal conversation, he would have registered the surge of lightning coursing through his arm from the bare contact.

 

“So…” Adrien started, “d-do you wanna, like, go out or-”

 

“Adrikins~”

 

Out of the blue, a blotch of yellow filled his vision, a pair of arms hugging the air out of his neck and making him choke. He spat out Chloe’s thick hair out of his mouth. “Hi.” He murmured.

 

“Oh, you won’t believe daddy’s new chef!” She was gushing. “He makes  _ the  _ best dessert in all of Paris! You have to try it!”

 

“Yeah. Sure.” He struggled to keep her at a distance, but like always, she kept clinging to him. He chanced a glance at Marinette, and saw that she was frowning deeply. No, not frowning… scowling? “Um, Chlo, I’m kinda busy right now-”

 

“You’re going to lunch with me later, aren’t you?” She continued obliviously. “My treat, of course.” She gasped suddenly. “Oh my  _ gosh _ , I never knew how hot you were in leather!” To prove her point, she ran a manicured finger down his chest.

 

He hated it. He honestly did. Yes, Chloe was his first friend - she was  _ still  _ his friend - but her advances on him sometimes thinned out his patience. The only thing separating him from batting her hand away was his sympathy towards her. She was spoiled, a brat, but she still had her own grief that was somewhat similar to his.

 

Now, though, with his hormones taking control of everything else, he found that her touch was more alluring than usual. Her cold blue eyes looked to be more sultry, and he could spot her collarbone peeking through the top of her shirt. When her other hand wandered down his arm, he strangely liked it. He liked it when her nails brushed his wrist.

 

Taking deep breaths, he willed his consciousness to come back, but it was lagging way behind. “You should totally wear this more often, Adrikins.” She went on with a wink.

 

A part of him (his  _ sane  _ part, mind you) wanted to roll his eyes, but a  _ bigger  _ part of him rumbled with approval. The attention wasn’t all that bad, he supposed. Suppressing a growl, he said, “I guess I should.”

 

The blonde girl giggled. She was going to make another move when Marinette interrupted them with a loud clear of her throat. She glared at Chloe. "Ms. Bustier is on her way." She said, her voice unusually low. "You should sit down."   
  
"Uh, remind me again why I should listen to you?" She shot back. "I can very much talk to Adrien how ever long I want."   
  
She didn't reply right away. Instead, she got up from her seat, circled around Adrien's desk, and made herself right at home on it. Placing her hands on the wood, she leaned back and crossed her legs, as if she was sitting on her throne and not her crush's table.   
  
"Well," Adrien thought, licking his dry lips, "she's more than welcome to make my desk her throne. Heck, if she wanted, she could make an even better one on my lap."   
  
…okay, what?   
  
"I highly suggest you scamper back now, Chloe." Marinette was saying. "Like Adrien said; he's busy."   
  
For a moment, Chloe was flummoxed with her change in demeanor, having clearly not anticipated the bold course of action, but with a stubborn huff, she barked, "And what the hell was he so busy doing, hmm? I doubt it's more important than talking to the mayor's daughter."   
  
"On the contrary," just then, her hand shot out, grabbing blindly at something behind her and finding purchase on the collar of his shirt. She yanked at the fabric gently, bringing his face closer to her side. "He was talking to  _ me _ ."

 

Adrien didn’t know who was more baffled - him, Chloe, or Marinette herself. At the instant the words left her mouth, she visibly blanched, her gaze flicking to his desk, her hand on his shirt, and back to Chloe. The other girl wasn’t faring any better though, as she was opening and closing her mouth like a fish in a beach, and he wondered whether or not she was breathing. Sabrina popped up by her side, out of nowhere but seemed to have heard the exchange, and immediately started fanning her best friend with a magazine. He himself was, well, a bit hard to explain.

 

And by hard, he meant  _ down there  _ hard.

 

How in the world had he missed the very crucial detail that Marinette was the straight forward kind of girl? Or that she was, in fact, the jealous type? He had seen her face when Chloe was flirting with him - she wasn’t ‘okay’ with it in the least. An inferno had formed in her irises, sheer anger and possessiveness swimming around her pupils. But what he only caught at the end was how intense she had pulled him to her, of her  _ claiming  _ him. If he were in his cat suit, he would have purred against her leg and shoved his head into her fingers, fully giving himself up to her without hesitation.

 

He understood the message she was implying. He was  _ hers.  _ And she didn’t have any intentions of sharing him.

 

Well, not that he had any complaints in the matter.

 

Stomping her foot and hissing, Chloe stormed her way to the other side of the class, flopping down on her bench and folding her arms in front of her, pouting. Sabrina continued to fan her, occasionally mumbling a few comforting words.

 

When Marinette pulled back, he mewled quietly. She didn’t seem to hear him. “I-I’m so so so so sorry!” She stammered. “That was way too rude of me. I shouldn’t have your shirt grabbing- I mean! I s-shouldn’t have grabbed you… like that. I’m so sorry.” She winced when her voice pitched a little too high at the last sentence.

 

Adrien, however, was long gone.

 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, huh? He couldn’t help his imagination from driving straight into the gutter. She was unexpectedly aggressive. And  _ hot. _ But considering what they did the other night, he shouldn’t have been surprised. Then again, he was her classmate and  _ not  _ some guy in a leather cat costume. Who would have guessed that she could act so sexy outside the safety of her bedroom walls? He had to get her alone. He had to have her to himself. He had to feel her taking him in her palms again.

 

Maybe she didn’t mind a bit of PDA? A kiss maybe, and some tongue. Oh,  _ definitely  _ a lot of of tongue. Would she go for that? He wanted to find out.

 

He was about to shut her up with his mouth when the door burst open, revealing Alya and Nino and an unhappy Ms.Bustier.

 

“The bell already went off and I find you two  _ peaking  _ through your own classroom’s windows?” The teacher scolded, sighing. “Honestly, what is wrong with you?”

 

“Sorry, Ms. Bustier.” Alya tried for a smile. “It won’t happen again.”

 

“Yeah, like, it was just a teenager thing, ya know?” Nino added unhelpfully. “Really sorry, Ms. B.”

 

The older woman tisked at them once before sending them to their seats.

 

Adrien held back a snap. Goddammit.

 

He didn’t dare look behind him.

 

This was far from bad. This was so much worse. He didn’t know just how ha-  _ difficult  _ it was to maintain control. Plagg had told him yesterday that things were just going to go downhill in a few days, but with practice (and regular relief, but he couldn’t bring himself to dwell on that yet) he should be able to focus more and make his head relatively cool.

 

But he’s had his ‘relief’ just yesterday night. What was he supposed to do? Ram the first available female into the janitor's closet? Yeah, like that’ll-

 

Wait.

 

Leaning back, he considered the crazy idea. He faintly heard Marinette and Alya’s conversation above him, but he couldn’t make anything out. It was probably a heated discussion by the way Marinette kept groaning and squealing.

 

Now,  _ there’s  _ a thought.

 

“You in there, bro?” Nino knocked on his forehead gently, effectively waking the blond up. “We’re… getting our homework out now. And you’re just staring into space. Everything okay up there?” When he said the last two words, his eyes flew a few times to the left. At Marinette’s direction.

 

Smiling uncertainly, Adrien shrugged. “Things are good.” Pulling out his tablet, he played iddly with the stylus. God, he had to get rid of his boner soon before his nosy friend got his mind around the problem.

  
The sound of Mari still moaning incoherent words into her hand wasn’t much help either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew so another chapter is up! Woohoo!
> 
> Also, I recently brought back my old tumblr account back to life! Go check it out! The name's irakirih
> 
> And just to get this out there, since I really need the publicity, I have a new idea for a fanzine for the ml fandom! If you don't already know what a fanzine is, it's basically a magazine made by us fans lol. The post I made for it is in my tumblr account under the tag "fanzine" (can't copy and paste the link here for some reason) and anyways thanks for all your support! :3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the sin :3
> 
> EDIT: Because I am horribly forgetful  
> I wanted to ask about what you guys would think about a fic where our duo get a little time travelling fun? Not to the past, but to the FUTURE. Meeting their older selves, their kids *wink wink* and tons of other revelations! Should I go with it or nah?

Marinette wanted to hide under a rock, in the deepest ocean, and never return. Or at least once neither Chloe nor Adrien could remember her and they’d just go on with their lives as if her little stunt hadn’t happened.

 

What had gotten  _ into _ her?

 

She, the timid girl in class who could barely keep her feet from tripping over themselves, had  _ sat  _ on  _ Adrien Agreste’s  _ table and  _ sassed _ the most powerful teenage girl in Paris (well, okay, she back talks Chloe all the time, but still) and she had  _ grabbed  _ Adrien’s shirt and… and…

 

Marinette whimpered in French.

 

That was it. She had yelled at him and had accidentally confessed to him in the middle of the yelling. She had shot down each and every advances he made and had left him the dark without a single light of explaination. To top it all off, she had made the most audacious move on him  _ and _ it was in front of an audience! He was never going to talk to her again. He was going to hate her and she was never going to get married and have kids because she was going to have nightmares of him glaring at her every night and never letting her touch his clothes ever again and-

 

“Mari,” Alya interjected her chaotic thoughts with a firm hand on each of her shoulders, “you need to  _ breathe.” _

 

She forcefully inhaled a loud breath.

 

“Now let it all out.”

 

She released the air in her lungs in a single whoosh.

 

“And repeat.”

 

She was hyperventilating.

 

“That’s it!” Alya grinned. “You’re doing great, girl.”

 

“I JUST MADE A MOVE ON ADRIEN FUCKING AGRESTE!” Marinette shrieked. She gripped Alya’s wrist manically. “TELL ME I DIDN’T!”

 

“Sorry to break it you, but,” Alya cocked her hip, “ya just did. Congrats, by the way.”

 

“Alyaaaaaa…” Marinette tossed her friend’s hands around between them pitifully. “I can’t believe you’re teasing me.”

 

“I am not!” Sighing, the redhead guided the both of them down a flight of stairs leading to the first floor. They sat on the last step. “Listen, Mari…”

 

Marinette side-glanced her. Alya tried for a small smile. “Why didn’t you tell me you’ve confessed to him?” Alya asked quietly.

 

The other girl closed her eyes. “You figured it out.” Was all she said. She had intended to say something, she really did, but the shame and insecurity that had weighed on her shoulders that day was too much for her to handle. Even though Tikki had advised her to confide on her best friend, she still couldn’t bring herself to do that, mainly because she was too embarrassed to admit that it had all been spontaneous.

 

Alya knew how she had wanted to reveal herself to him, if she ever got the courage to. She had wanted it to be under the light of the moon, with a thousand stars as a backdrop, and with his hands around her she’d whisper, “I love you,” and it’d all happen with the Eiffel Tower as their only witness. The aftermath was never touched as she would cower under the blankets with a furious blush on her cheeks and Alya guffawing beside her.

 

If Alya knew that she had gotten angry at him for saving her, and the confession was just blurted out in the midst of her tantrum, what would she think? That girl has been her wingman in her whole romantic dilemma, she had tried so hard to get her so far, and yet what was the fruit of their struggle? It was all wasted because she wasn’t capable of sorting her words in front of him - as per usual.

 

Though, thinking back, Marinette had to scoff at herself. Alya was a journalist, and she was more than competent to figure out her friend’s drastic change of behavior. Telling her would have taken a huge load off her chest, and it’d save so much time too.

 

So she told her of what happened, excluding Chat Noir’s late-night visit. It was a short story, but one that Marinette had trouble spilling due to her ever-tightening throat.

 

Once she finished, Alya pursed her lips. There was a pause before Alya said, “It’s gonna be okay.” Linking an arm around her shoulders, she continued confidently, “Adrien’s tried reaching out to you. That’s an awesome sign! If he didn’t like you in any way, he would have just left you alone. But he didn’t. He cares about you, Marinette.”

 

_ “I care about you, Marinette.” _

 

The dark-haired girl chewed on her bottom lip. He had said the exact same thing. “But he’s nice to  _ everyone _ , Alya. I’m just… another face in the masses. I’m not special.”

 

“Jesus Christ,” Alya threw up her hands in disbelief.

 

“I mean it! He cares about all of us. He… he doesn’t have a whole bunch of friends.” The unease of such a statement stabbed at her, making her look to the side to make sure no one was eavesdropping. The other students were, thankfully, just walking to their respective class and not paying any attention. “He just doesn’t want to lost me in his list, is all.”

 

“I saw the way he looked at you, you know.” Alya crossed her arms, giving her the flattest stare she could muster. “He didn’t look at you like you were just a regular friend.”

 

“Was that before or after I grabbed his shirt?”

 

The bell rang a second later, indicating that they were late for their next class. Alya gritted her teeth, but eventually stood up. She pointed a finger at Marinette’s nose. “This conversation is not over. I  _ will  _ drive some sense into you if it’s the last thing I do.”

 

“Sure, sure.” Together they jogged forward to a few doors lining the left wall. “I’ll take it as a lunch date invitation.”

 

Separating, Marinette took a deep breath. She was standing at the door of chemistry class, with no Alya to help her get through the entire period. It wasn’t about the subject itself, but the person inside the room with her.  _ Adrien. _

 

God, just kill her already.

 

When she entered, the teacher sighed at her tardiness and waved her off to her seat. “You must work on your timing, Ms. Dupain-Cheng.” She said. “I can’t tolerate you being late for my class forever.”

 

“Sorry,” Marinette mumbled after putting on her safety goggles.

 

And then she saw it. A tiny slip of paper hidden underneath her Erlenmeyer flask. She looked to her seatmate, but she was staring straight ahead. Swiftly retrieving the paper, she brought it under the table, away from prying eyes, and unfolded it.

 

_ Meet me in the janitor’s closet after class. _

 

Furrowing her brows, she flipped the note over, but there was nothing more to it. What kind of creep sends this kind of message to someone? With a twist of her mouth, she was about to throw it away when something caught her eye.

 

There, at the bottom right corner of the paper, was a drawing of a paw print.

 

Urgently, she whipped her head from right to left. No one was looking at her.

 

Acting as nonchalant as possible, she pocketed the note and tried to focus on the assignment at hand.

 

Before her head could swim any deeper in the weirdness of the words, a slim finger tapped at her hands. “You need help with that?” Adrien smiled, pointing to her abandoned candle stick.

 

Marinette flinched away on impulse.

 

The corner of his lips fell. Raising a hand, he rubbed at the back of his neck, his gaze dropping to his shoes. “Sorry. I’ll go.” He said.

 

“Ah, no no no!” Marinette dug her nails into the fabric of her jeans. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Just focus on breathing. Heartbeat slowing down, she willed herself to look at him. This… avoiding and such; it had to stop. He cared about her, he really wanted her to keep being his friend. How could she throw away his kindness like that? Chat was right, she concluded. She still had Adrien, just maybe not in a romantic sense. And maybe that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. “Could you... err…” Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ears, she reached for her small pack of matches and handed them to him shyly.

 

He looked at the matches, then to her, the wall, the ceiling, until finally they rested on her eyes.

 

So green. And so scared. What has she done? Being wrapped up in her cliché teenage drama, she never stopped to consider  _ his  _ feelings in the situation. She had only thought, “Well, he’s a model, he handles confessions all the time. It’s no different with me.”

 

But it  _ was  _ different, she dared to believe. If by any chance Alya was right, then what she’s been doing to him for the past few days - avoiding him, never speaking to him, looking so afraid of him - then just how much pain was he carrying because of her selfishness? She had spent her days, and even most of her nights, trembling in fear of what he would say to her, whether or not he wanted anything to do with her anymore. And it was that fear that had led her to blindness. She was so caught up in trying to prolong the supposedly inevitable end that she didn’t see him trying to mend things back together.

 

He was holding on to her, to their bond, and she was sitting there acting like a kicked puppy in a storm.

 

“I-I promise I won’t burn you again,” Marinette tried for a laugh. “Um, so uhh, c-could you help me light it?” She tilted her head towards her candle.

 

To her gigantic relief, Adrien’s smile popped back up his face, his shoulders broadening gradually. “Sure! Yes! Of course I can!”

 

She giggled at his excessive concentration, and was delighted again at seeing him grin and chuckle along.

 

He had very white teeth, she noticed, and his breath smelled of mint. Was he wearing cologne? On instinct, she took a long whiff, humming in satisfaction when the scent was indeed as extravagant as she anticipated. He rarely wore cologne, and this kind of smell was so grown-up and mature that she couldn’t help admiring it for a little while longer.

 

She was losing control of her own body. Her conscious momentarily darkened. Whatever beast that had taken over her, she didn’t have the energy to fight it back. She wasn’t even sure if she  _ wanted  _ to fight back.

 

Not even caring if anyone saw, she buried her nose in his neck, taking in a breath through her nose and exhaling through her mouth, letting the hot air waft between his hair. She felt him shiver. “You smell good,” Marinette whispered in his ear. When had he gotten so close? Or was she the one leaning in? “I really like it.”

 

“Mari…?” Adrien breathed.

 

God, the way he said her name… it conjured up so much naughty imagination. It was a perilous voice to have. 

 

And he was straightening up. Shuffling away. Nearly bolting for his seat across the room.

 

For the rest of chem, Marinette had trouble ignoring how damp her underwear suddenly felt and how Adrien’s gaze brushed over her like a rough feather - subtle, but still able to make her squirm. It wasn’t one of distaste. It was… something else entirely. She couldn’t pinpoint what, one of the reasons being her festering desire and the other being the curiosity of who exactly was waiting for her to be done with her experiment.

 

By the time the bell rang again, she practically leapt for the doorknob and sprinted through the corridor.

 

Was Adrien as perplexed as she was? Was Adrien hiding a blush? Was Adrien turned on by her? The thought of him cornering her and his vengeful hands all over her clothes made the wetness between her legs increase. She had to stop for a second to catch her breath, stopping her legs from rubbing together because she was  _ in public _ , and forced some sense into her head.

 

The person she was going to meet might not be the guy she had in mind. What if she was wrong? It’d be too mortifying if she jumped a random classmate in a janitor’s closet. And yet, if she was right…

 

Gulping down her anxiety, she held back some speed, walking rather than running to the other end of the hall. There weren’t many people in this part of the building since there were only a few bathrooms, a small wall of lockers, a couple of classrooms, and finally the janitor’s closet.

 

She purposely slowed down, waiting for the remaining teens to disperse, until finally it was quiet.

 

“This isn’t a good idea, Marinette!” Tikki scolded from her purse.

 

With the purse opened, Marinette scratched the little creature between her eyes and smiled. “I promise to be careful, alright?”

 

“It could be a prank! Chloe was clearly mad at you, Marinette. This might be a trap.”

 

“That could be true. But I have to find out one way or another. Trust me on this, Tikki.”

 

Tikki rolled her eyes knowingly.

 

Tucking the kwami back inside, she knocked on the door. And a gloved hand shot out, circling her arm and pulling her quickly inside.

 

Marinette yelped as her back was pressed against wood, a hand falling to her hip and another one to her chest.

 

Fingers skimming on something next to her head, she blindly flipped on a switch, and the room was filled with light.

 

Even after he started peppering kisses on her neck, she knew that pair of black kitty ears. “You’re crazy, Chat Noir.” Marinette moaned when he sneakily scraped his fangs along her jaw. “H-How… did you know wh-what class I was in?”

 

“I just did,” he said shortly. The hand on her hip glided lower, to the back of her thigh, and he yanked it upwards, effectively hitching one of her legs up his waist and bringing forth a new kind of pressure. He quieted her loud whine with his mouth on hers, but it did little help when he too was making a ruckus. He purred as their tongues mingled, forgetting to be gentle as he bucked his hips and pushed her harder against the door.

 

Still riding the high from chemistry, Marinette grabbed his hair and tugged, already knowing how he liked it, and drowned herself in the exploding flavor of Chat Noir.

 

She held on to the last shred of control as she carefully placed Tikki to the corner, secure and safe, before she finally let go and dived into Chat’s eager body.

 

Her jacket was flung to the floor, by him or her, she didn’t know. His hands found the skin beneath her shirt, going shamelessly up and down and growling. “Is this okay?” He asked, breathless.

 

She answered by grabbing his wrist and guiding it higher, shirt riding up dangerously and revealing her stomach to the hot air. Chat’s other hand instantly admired it, nails digging into the skin of her side and holding her firmer in place.

 

“I didn’t get to fondle you last night,” He protested. Proving his point, he gently squeezed her breast, still contained by her bra, and smirked when she groaned and struggled to catch her breath. “Ready to get  _ swept _ off your feet, purr-incess?”

 

“Y-You… mngghh… already have… one of my legs.” Marinette sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “Greedy, aren’t we?”

 

“ _ Can  _ it, Mari.” He squeezed her breast harder and brought his lips to her other one, nibbling the fabric that was hiding it. “That lucky bastard Adrien had so much fun with you this morning. Where’s  _ my  _ fun, huh?”

 

“Oh, a treat? Is that what you want?” Marinette pulled his hair back, and he yowled, neck exposed and teeth baring. “Or are you  _ actually _ jealous?” She giggled before dipping her head and pecking his Adam’s apple. She felt him swallow.

 

“By all means,” Shaking away her hold, he went back to kissing her neck. “Love that boy. But don’t neglect this pathetic alley cat, my princess. I need my treats. You said so yourself last night.”

 

Instead of giving a verbal reply, Marinette opted to use her tongue in a more lecherous way. Bringing his mouth up to hers once again for a steamy kiss, she swiped at his bottom lip and sucked. She felt his hands work at a feverish pace, from admiring her chest to skimming down her stomach, up her back and gripping her bra clasp. Her smug smirk was knocked off her face when she felt him fumbling to undo it, a sharp intake of breath echoing between the space of their lips.

 

Chat paused his claws. “Too fast?” He mumbled, mind whirling.

 

She kissed him quickly. “Not here.”

 

His cat ears fluttered visibly. Grinning, he whispered, “You’re killing me here, princess.” Using the tip of his nails, he raked them down her shoulder blades. “If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought you were in heat as well.” Her shaky moan and half-lidded eyes were so sinful that he couldn’t stop himself from pushing his hips into her. Damn, she felt good. She’d feel so much better if it weren’t for his blasted suit. “I can’t believe I used to think you were innocent.” Another push of his hips. Another erotic moan. “You are  _ far  _ from innocent, aren’t you?”

 

“Shut up,” Marinette retorted. “You’re the one making me…”

 

“Turned on?” He supplied. “Horny? Hormonal? Go on, say it.”

 

“Chat…”

 

He nipped at her chin. “Hmm?”

 

“D-Did you… umm… have any urges? Before you came over here.”

 

Chat Noir froze for a split second. Should he tell her? She was aware that he was in season, but that didn’t mean that she was okay with him gawking at other girls. Right? Sure, they weren’t exclusive, but she was still Marinette. He knew first hand of how conflicted her emotions must be, with her confession and now his sudden need to quench his building wants. He’s gotten her through enough obstacles as it was. If she knew that he had been triggered because of  _ Chloe _ of all people, how would she react? He couldn’t exactly blame her if she cut things off with him.

 

Although, another part of him scolded him for being too selfish. They never made an official agreement about the whole mating season fiasco. She never agreed to be his safe haven. She never agreed to be his relief 24/7. And she never agreed to keep this up for who knows how many months.

 

She owed him nothing, and yet he kept coming back for her. She gave him what he needed without any hint of disgust, so the least he could do was tell the truth, if only partially.

 

“Yes,” he admitted dejectedly. “A girl was making some moves on my civilian self. I usually just brush it off, but…” He shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. He lowered her leg from his person, slipped his arm from under her top, and scratched the back of his head.

 

Marinette blinked a few times until the fire in her bones subsided, hormones flowing back to their shell and turning her brain back on. She suddenly found the room much smaller than it was before, the proximity of her partner doing weird things to her heartbeat. Coughing, she averted her gaze to a wall stacked with broomsticks. Focus on that, Mari, and do not focus on Chat Noir’s abs. 

 

“You aren’t, you know, in heat anymore?” She asked, more as a distraction than a genuine question.

 

“I’m still  _ in heat _ for the whole season and all that. But I guess it wears off once I, uhh… have some contact or whatever? I sort of wanted to talk to you about that.”

 

“It’s the logical step, yeah. So, do you-”

 

She felt a buzz in her pocket. Her phone? Fishing the device out, she murmured a quick apology before accepting the call. “Girl, where are you?!” Alya shouted from the speaker. “I’m out front waiting for you!”

 

“Wait, what? Already?”

 

“Duh, it’s been ten minutes since we got out of class! What’s keeping you?”

 

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry, Alya. I-I’m in the girls’ room. I’ll be right out.”

 

“Ya better. I’m starving over here.”

 

Hanging up, she looked at Chat guiltily. “I promised her we’d have lunch.” She informed him.

 

“Shoot! Lunch!” He slapped his forehead in dismay. “I should scamper off, too.  _ Chat  _ you tonight?”

 

Tilting her head up, she answered with a sly wink and a thump to his nose before ducking out of the cramped closet, not forgetting her red companion and her jacket.

 

To her fear and unease, Alya was tapping her foot on the pavement rather indignantly. She had no hope of avoiding her friend’s wrath, and buying time was obviously going to worsen her sour mood, so she merely took in a calming breath and descended the school’s front steps.

 

“Nice weather we’re having, right?” Marinette tried for a grin, but it came out crooked.

 

“Yeah.” Alya gave her the stink eye. “For a murder.”

 

“Alya-”

 

“You know, I was honestly thinking of letting you off the hook for not telling me about the whole Adrien thing.” Alya sighed dramatically, putting a hand to her chest for added effect. “But alas, you’ve shredded my sympathy with your own hands.”

 

Marinette deflated. “Oh, come on. You know my timing has always been terrible.”

 

“Nuh uh.” Alya waved her index finger haughtily. “Get in the way of me and  _ my  _ food? I have no mercy for you, Dupain-Cheng.”

 

Sighing, Marinette shrugged and was about to tredge along the sidewalk when two very familiar boys showed up, waving their hands and telling them to wait up. It was Nino, followed by a sputtering… Adrien?!

 

Instinctively and out of habit, Marinette dove behind Alya’s back and held up her purse as if willing Tikki to use her magic and make Adrien turn around. But as cruel fate would have it, Adrien stuck around.

 

“Glad we caught up with you,” Nino said. “We got a little sidetracked because  _ somebody _ ,” he gave a pointed look at the boy next to him, “wanted to help the librarian sort out some history books.”

 

“Can’t say no to that, right?” Adrien laughed.

 

Upon hearing the blond speak, a wicked glint sparkled in Alya’s eyes. “You got a point, but my stomach is priority number one so you are  _ not  _ getting away with it that easily.”

 

“Uh, okay?” Adrien turned to Nino. “Should I be scared?”

 

“Be scared, man.” Nino shuddered and clapped the other boy’s shoulder solemnly. “Be super scared.”

 

“Ohhh,  _ Marinette,”  _ Alya sang way too joyously. “You were tardy as well, missy. I say you share the punishment with our little friend here.”

 

“Alya!” Marinette hissed, still refusing to emerge from her hiding spot.

 

But the redhead wasn’t having any of her shit. Tugging her arm, she pushed the blushing teen over to Adrien, causing her feet to tangle with themselves and making her trip. Luckily (or unluckily), Adrien saved her with his arms around her back. They jumped away from each other immediately.

 

None of the two had a chance to say anything when two heavy bags were thrown their way. “Backpack duty,” Alya said simply and started skipping ahead.

 

“Whoa, you’re going easy on them?” Nino whistled after matching his steps with hers. The other pair were trailing a little behind. “In a good mood or something?”

 

“Oh, Nino,” Alya cackled. “This is only a warmup. I could never go ‘easy’ on them. Without a push from us, they’ll never work out whatever mess they’re in.”

 

“I guess. You cannot believe how frustrating it is pretending that Adrien isn’t having  _ the syndrome _ . I love my bro, but let’s face it. He’s hopeless.”

 

“What do you mean by  _ ‘the syndrome’ _ ?”

 

“Do I have to spell it out for you, Alya?” Looking over his shoulder to make sure that their conversation was still out of Adrien’s and Marinette’s earshot, he continued, “Guy stuff, really. He had it so bad when Marinette grabbed him earlier. He, you know…” Not having the breath to finish his sentence, he merely gesture to his pants.

 

Alya blanched. “ _Damn_. I mean, I know he got a giant whack to the brain from Mari’s stunt but to that extent?” She slapped his arm, suddenly pumped. “Why didn’t you tell me he was into her?”

 

“I didn’t know!” Nino whisper-shouted, rubbing at the spot where he was hit. “I can’t really say that he  _ is  _ into her just yet. But he’s been pretty weird the last few days. Like, blushing and stammering kind of weird.”

 

“Not surprised.” It was her turn to look over her shoulder. Adrien and Marinette had kept a distance between them, both red from the neck up and not uttering a single word to each other. “We have to help these idiots.”

 

“How?”

 

“Just follow my lead, partner.” She held out her fist to him. “Trust me?”

 

Nino stared at her for a second, then to her outstretched appendage. A smirk graced his features before he connected his own fist to hers. “Count me in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your patients! I get the sinking feeling that this was a bit rush. I'll try to do better! ^^;
> 
> Add my tumblr too guys! irakirih is the name :3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who put this bucket of angst in my screen?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I love toturing myself, I have updated this story while I'm in an exam cricis (Oh good Lord help me)

Honestly, Marinette didn’t know why she even bothered trying.

 

Alya was notorious for being stubborn, from chasing exclusive interviews with Paris’s heroes to her best friend’s more or less complicated love life. She also wasn’t having any of Marinette’s excuses as she pointed at her nose once before jabbing the same finger down towards a seat. Being the mature adult that Marinette was obviously not that day, she had dumped her load - Alya’s bag - to the floor and scooted into the window seat with a loud “hmph!”.

 

Alya smiled, sickeningly sweet, and grabbed Adrien by his shoulders and dumped him right next to her.

 

“You two,” Alya said. “Stay. Your father and I will go and order.”

 

“What? Nino’s my dad?” Marinette feigned utter shock, inhaling sharply and placing both palms on her chest. “Mama, why didn’t you tell me papa was alive?!”

 

“Shush, little girl. You’re grounded.”

 

“Whatever for?”

 

“For sassing your own mother and not being nice to your brother.”

 

“Wait.” Adrien raised his hand. “I’m your kid, too?”

 

“But of course! Honey,” Alya grabbed Nino’s arm. “We really should call the food now. Our babies are so hungry to the point that they don’t remember their own parents.”

 

“Yeah, pumpkin.” Nino grinned stupidly. “After you.”

 

As Alya dragged him along, Nino chanced a glance back to his buddy and flashed his eyebrows.

 

“Ugh.” Adrien shook his head. “What a dork.”

 

“Sorry,” Marinette murmured. “Probably not how you wanted your lunch to go down.”

 

“Nahh, don’t worry about it. Alya scares me a bit, but she’s tons of fun.” Adrien looked at her. “Well, plus, our last lunch together didn’t really go so smoothly. Thought maybe we could, ahh, hit the restart button and try again?”

 

Heat blossomed in her chest and cheeks. He was bringing it up  _ now _ ? She swallowed thickly and nodded. “I-I guess.”

 

She heard him suck in a deep breath, as if wanting to say something else, but nothing came. Instead, he fiddled with his fingers on his lap and looked to the side, not meeting her eyes, until a few seconds passed and, too quick for her brain to respond, his right hand flew under the table, engulfing her fingers in his palm.

 

And that was how Marinette’s soul managed to wiggle out of her flesh.

 

Dumb and motionless, she had no idea how to breathe, let alone react. Her lungs had bidden farewell, leaving their posts unmanned. Her heart wasn’t faring so good either with it tripling its pace and pumping her blood way too fast, making her head spin and her ears whistle.

 

Adrien’s hair blocked most of her view, but from the way his neck burned bright red, she knew that he wasn’t composing himself any better than she was.

 

Yet, his hand still tightened his hold on her, silently pleading her to make the next move.

 

But she had no idea what her next move was supposed to be! Should she squeeze back? Should she pull away? Should she say something? Her palms were getting sweaty. His were too, she concluded, but every nerve in her body screamed at her to not let go.

 

“Adrien…?” Her tongue settled on his name.

 

“I meant what I said,” he blurted out, quick and low. “A-About… things being complicated. For me. Right now. I… I don’t know when  _ exactly _ my answer will be but… I umm…” She saw a hint of green behind threads of gold. “I never said no.”

 

Even though her mind was in chaos, thoughts and hopes and memories mashing together into clumps, she still had enough gears to process what he was saying. He never said no. Said no to what? Digging a bit deeper while at the same time pumping air into her systems, she found nothing else clicked besides…

 

Her confession.

 

He never said no to her confession, her  _ feelings _ .

 

Breath stuck in her throat, she whispered, “You don’t have to be so selfless.”

 

He coughed out a laugh. “You’re ridiculous. If anything, I’m being too selfish in this whole thing. You deserve a straightforward answer and not… a complete mess of communication.” He shrugged, suddenly dejected. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

 

“You don’t have to be.” Feeling a little bold, she swiped her thumb across his knuckles. “You’re nice. I can’t accept what you’re trying to offer because of that. I don’t want you to pity me.”

 

“Pity you?” He looked at her then. Something inside her stuttered and collapsed when she witnessed the pure sincerity glowing in his eyes. “I never did. I’ve been trying to explain this whole time, Marinette. I  _ like _ you.”

 

A million butterflies hatched in her stomach, a few escaping to her line of vision and rendering her momentarily blind.

 

Adrien noticed this and instantly backpedalled. “B-But I still don’t have any clue whether this  _ like _ is romantic or not. All I know is-”

 

“You’re holding up the line, kid!”

 

Whipping their heads towards the sound, they saw Alya and Nino at the front of a long line of customers. An angry clerk was glaring down at them. “We got your order, now get out of the way!” He said.

 

“Is that any way to treat a paying customer?” Alya shrilled, gaze flicking back to the pair of friends.

 

“I have half a dozen more paying customers waiting behind you!”

 

“We both can’t go back right now! Give them at least five more minutes, bud!”

 

“Who’s ‘them’?”

 

Alya gritted her teeth, legs bending like she was ready to jump over the counter and scratch him.

 

Nino bolted forward and grabbed one of the trays. “Alya, dear, we really should get going.”

 

“Not until-”

 

“Girly, you’ve got three seconds to scram and get a damn seat.” The older man held up a meaty finger. “One…”

 

“Wha-”

 

“ _ Two _ …”

 

“Alya!” Marinette called out. She waved frantically at her friend. “Down, girl! Let’s just eat.”

 

She tisked, glared, stomped her feet, but eventually grabbed the remaining tray and stormed over to their table.

 

“Ship sinker,” she muttered and stabbed her fries with a fork.

 

“Dude, you look like you wanna murder that guy,” Nino commented, peeling back the wrapper containing his burger. He took a bite and spoke, “I was ready to break out the mom-leash if things got nasty.”

 

“Not my fault that jackass decided to ruin my plan.”

 

“What plan?” Adrien asked, dumbfounded.

 

His grip slackened somewhat after their friends joined them, much to Marinette’s dismay. She figured that not even Alya’s keen eye caught their little hand-holding, but she feared that with the reporter right in front of them now, it’d all be too clear. Slipping her hand from his, she struggled to not let out a whine at the lost of warmth.

 

The boy next to her didn’t give them away by shooting her a glance, thankfully.

 

With his right hand now free, he picked at his salad.

 

“Oh, you know, a mother’s diabolical scheme to get her two kids closer.” Alya sipped her soda.

 

“Alya!” Marinette hissed, appalled. “He’s my  _ brother _ .”

 

“Nothing wrong with a bit of sibling bonding!” Nino replied.

 

“Whatever,  _ dad _ .” Adrien rolled his eyes. “We all know that Marinette’s actually adopted.”

 

“ _ What _ ?!” Marinette smacked his arm. “You’re the one who’s adopted!”

 

“Nuh-uh.” Adrien leaned closer to his best friend, the both of them showing off a toothy grin. “This kind of resemblance is uncanny, oh sister of mine.”

 

“I don’t even know you anymore.”

 

“Does anyone really?” He sighed dramatically.

 

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him before shoving a tomato into his mouth.

 

Something sparked in Alya’s eyes. “Marinette! We do not suffocate our brothers with a vegetable!” She scolded sternly.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, mama. But I do believe that a tomato is actually a fruit.”

 

Alya twisted her mouth. “We are not having that argument again. The point is; you’ve got a time out, little missy.”

 

“Oh, please.”

 

“Yes! And as your punishment, you are to help your brother do his homework!”

 

“I already did my homework, though,” Adrien piped up.

 

“Then redo it!”

 

“What kind of mother  _ are  _ you?”

 

“The kind that’s gonna make you brats straighten out whatever it is that’s been bothering you.”

 

“I second that,” Nino declared.

 

The two shared a fist bump.

 

Marinette and Adrien, if only by reflex, turned to each other. Adrien looked like he was about to fire off a smart remark, but once their eyes met, he stuttered. Marinette in turn flushed and looked away, trying to hide the redness in her cheeks by pressing her pigtails over her nose.

 

“Oh, or better yet,” Alya grinned. “Mari, dear, I do believe you mentioned that physics was being a heartless bitch to you recently.”

 

“Alya, no.”

 

“Adrien!” The redhead exclaimed, startling the poor boy until his fork dropped from his fingers. “Be a good example to this generation and teach her an equation or two!” 

 

Picking up his silverware and pouting, he replied, “I thought you wanted me to redo my homework,  _ mom _ .”

 

“You can do both if you want.” Nino was the one to answer. “The more assignments, the better!”

 

This time, the entire residents of the table looked at him, mouth agape in utter disbelief and disgust.

 

A second passed before he abruptly gave up his food to gravity, sending it plopping back to his plate with a heavy thump, and raised his arms above his heads. “What have I done.”

 

“Nino,” Alya said, punctuating each syllable. “We. Are. Officially. Divorced.”

 

“I’d divorce myself too if I could.” He made a spectacle of himself by scrubbing his mouth with a napkin. “I can’t  _ believe _ I just said that.” His eyes drifted to the pair before him. “I blame you kids.”

 

Adrien merely stuck his tongue out at him and sniffed. 

 

They counted the minutes left of their mini hangout with little bites of food and playful banter, Alya and Nino at some point changing course and talking among themselves about the latest gadgets. Marinette and Adrien were only partially paying heed to the conversation, close to not at all as some force pulled them into a tiny bubble of privacy.

 

Adrien had long since finished his lunch, now twirling the leftover sauce idly and, surprise, surprise, glanced at Marinette’s direction.

 

And Marinette truly did try to be indifferent. She forced her mind to wander, whether it was thinking about the decor or her next patrol, but his very being was begging her to look at him.

 

So she did.

 

He offered a smile. “Are you free this weekend? I can, you know, come over and help out with stuff.”

 

“Don’t you have photo shoots on most days?”

 

“I’ll talk to Father. Don’t worry about it. So, umm… Saturday?”

 

Butterflies hatched in her belly, or at least she thought they were butterflies. It could have been wasps from the way her entire body buzzed and vibrated from sheer elation. Adrien Agreste was offering to tutor her. In her house. After he had set foot there and found those mortifying photos of himself on her walls? After she had practically sent him off with wrath? All those mistakes and he was still willing to help her, still willing to give her a chance. Was his kindness so unlimited that he even implied about being attracted to her? 

 

And then the lightning striked her. Adrien had said that he  _ liked  _ her. Was he… fond of her? She honestly couldn’t comprehend why. Marinette was just an A+ student at being an absolute wreck. She barely talked to him, let alone keep up a mundane dialogue. Sure, they were talking and having lunch now, but that still didn’t justify his feelings.

 

Or did he truly have feelings?

 

He  _ did _ say that things were complicated, and that his ‘like’ wasn’t necessarily affection. Could it all be a fluke? Was it just the hype of the moment? She had seen a number of girls confessing to him, each being declined as gently as possible and him moving on with his daily life. As far as she knew, he didn’t go back to them and offered false comfort.

 

Was Alya right? Was Marinette actually a different kind of girl in his eyes?

 

“I-I’d love to…” She croaked, her bravery slipping away as she observed her slippers.

 

“Good. Great.” Adrien sipped his juice soundlessly. “Fantastic.”

 

“What’s fantastic?” Nino blurted out.

 

“Nothing, dad,” both Marinette and Adrien answered.

 

“Don’t worry, my-now-ex-husband,” Alya crooned (to which Nino frowned, feigning hurt). “I’ll dig up every bit of information about their play-date.”

 

“You are a fucking scary woman.”

 

Alya whipped her hair over her shoulder, accidentally or not so accidentally slapping Nino in the glasses with her curly mane. “And don’t you brats forget it.”

 

When they all started filing out - Alya, being the sass that she was, gave the cashier the stink eye - Adrien and Marinette drifted off into awkward serenity. The girl kept zipping and unzipping her friend’s bag that she was carrying while the blond pretended to admire Nino’s collection of custom-made buttons. Whenever someone so much as moved their heads, the other person went red like an apple and skipped a feet away. It was only by Alya’s or Nino’s persistent pushing could they have rounded back to square one; both walking side by side but never making an effort to communicate.

 

Alya swore under her breath.

 

“Easy there, mother bear,” Nino chidded. “You know how our kids are. They’re hopeless.” He ended his sentence with a shrug.

 

She sighed. “Although I ship these two, I just can’t stand all this unnecessary drama. They should just drop everything and make-out already.”

 

“We can  _ hear  _ you, Alya.” An annoyed voice called from behind her. “You’re literally just a meter away.”

 

Adrien, however, utterly tensed at the word ‘make-out’. Oh, if only they knew how much of  _ that _ had occurred between them, even if Mari had no idea who she had done it with. And, as if the little creature could sense his dirty-as-a-ditch mind, Plagg shook with contained laughter in his pocket. As discreet as possible, he whacked himself on the chest, faking a cough as to hide Plagg’s mewl of pain.

 

He slowed his pace at some point - or was it Mari who had sped up? - until her dark pigtails were in full view in front of him. He never noticed how long they were getting now; the tips dangling over her shoulder blades and curling ever so slightly. He remembered how they looked without a hairband bounding them in place. He had half a mind to suggest that she should just lose her current hairstyle and go everyday with it down just so he could run his claws through them in the daytime. There was just something so pretty about a girl’s locks; the way they could seem so soft and how they could suit his pillow so well once they’re splayed out on the-

 

“Get it together, kitten.” Plagg muttered as quietly as possible. “It hasn’t been an hour and you already want another release?”

 

Adrien was horrified. “How can you- can you read my  _ mind _ ?”

 

“I have had hundreds of kittens that go through mating season like you. I do not need a refresh to know when you guys are… what do you call it these days? Turned on?”

 

“What’s turned on?”

 

Yelping, he scooped Nino’s bag higher up his torso. “Err, nothing! I was just uhhh… thinking that I might’ve turned on my microwave at home by accident this morning.”

 

Alya raised a quizitive eyebrow. “You. Turning on a microwave. By  _ accident _ .”

 

“Y-Yeah. Doesn’t that happen to you guys?”

 

“Not normal kids, no.” Nino laughed. “But I guess rich models can? Whatever. Just call someone to turn it off.”

 

“If, you know, your house isn’t on fire yet.” Marinette giggled.

 

Adrien snorted before bumping their shoulders together.

 

Alya bit her lip to swallow back a squeal.

 

Back in class, their energetic chatter had to be paused and replaced with scribbles and notes. Marinette wasn’t surprised at how her best friend could barely contain her ecstasy, her leg bouncing under their shared desk and her mouth still stringing up hush, giddy whispers at her, mostly about how she just  _ had  _ to spill the beans once their “date” was done. The last bit still made her flustered and twitchy, skin warming and heart pumping, but the thought of them getting together and, if anything, fixing the cracks between them, then it was more than enough to put her gears running overtime. What would she say to him? Should she confess to him properly? Should she ask for his answer then?

 

And yet, a part of her - that part being Tikki - warned her that pushing the whole subject would just be too overwhelming, for both him and herself. Frankly, she wasn’t ready to be an Agreste’s girlfriend. Sure, she  _ wanted  _ to be for so long, but even the very idea sent tingles of fright and anxiety, whether people would laugh at her for being plain or not, whether she could live up to Adrien’s bar of expectations or not. His father was her  _ idol _ as well - what would her future as a fashion designer hold if she somehow squirmed her way into Gabriel Agreste’s bad books?

 

Another part of her though - this one being her own consciousness - yearned for a relationship with Adrien. It didn’t really have to be romantic, she figured, but she would love it if their bond could be something precious. He didn’t have too many close friends, and sometimes he looked alone. Maybe that was what she saw back in his car that day. Distant from the outside world even though all he wanted to do was just be a part of it - what was that feeling like? How could anyone, especially a gentle-hearted person like Adrien, endure such isolation? Thus came a fierce desire to be with him, if not as a lover than as a friend. She wanted to hold him so tightly that he would never feel lonely again.

 

So, sitting on her spinny chair in her room, she contemplated her choices. Saturday wasn’t too far. How would they finish this? Would being the way they are, dancing around their feelings and second-guessing the other one’s intentions, be good enough, at least for the time being? Or would being something more, a pair who could confide in each other and be there for each other, be the thing they actually needed?

 

“You’re thinking too hard on this, Marinette,” Tikki chirped between munches of cookies. “Adrien is a wonderful boy. You and he would get along just fine, no matter what.”

 

“I know that.” Marinette rubbed the black spot on her kwami’s forehead affectionately, earning herself a happy buzz. “I just want this elephant in the room to get back into the zoo, you know? I don’t like how awkward we are with each other. And I’m just scared that if I ask for too much-”

 

“Then he’ll run off?”

 

“Yes. B-But he said that he liked me too, whatever that means. Would he…?”

 

“I can’t be certain of that.” Tikki dropped her little chunk of chocolate and flitted up, being eye-level with her charge and offering an endearing nuzzle to the nose. “But what I  _ am  _ certain is that whatever choice you make, you won’t be the only one going through it. You have me, Adrien, and-”

 

“Purr-incesssss~”

 

“Chat Noir?!” Marinette eeped and snatched Tikki out of the air, cupping her companion between her palms and hiding her behind her back. Like a child caught with her hand inside the cookie jar, she put on a too-big grin and blindly directed Tikki into a shelf, just in time for her partner to jump through her window.

 

She felt Tikki wiggle between her fingers.

 

“Huh,” Chat Noir started. “I don’t know if I should be relieved or not right now.”

 

“Oh?” Marinette chanced a glance behind her and caught sight of Tikki fluttering silently into a shelf, her tiny red body disappearing between a couple of books at the back. She sighed, some of the tension seeping out of her nerves. “And why is that?”

 

“Because you’re fully dressed this time.” He shot her a shit-eating grin.

 

At that second, the complete reality of Chat Noir being in her  _ bedroom _ , firing off insufferable  _ pick-up lines _ , came crashing through her head in a splash of boiling water.

 

She had forgotten their promised meetup!

 

Trying to act as indifferent as she could, she turned her nose and scoffed. “I don’t fancy running around my house stark naked, thank you very much.”

 

“Aww, shame.” The cat-boy strutted her way, slittered an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “I happen to like the idea.”

 

“Mangy alley cat.” Marinette poked his mask. For a second, she was mesmerized by his strange eyes, of how green they were and how sharp his feline pupils were. “Don’t get too handsy now. You just got here.”

 

“Can’t,” he whispered simply. Running the tip of his nose down the line of her jaw, he flicked her hair to the opposite side of her face and started peppering tiny kisses on her skin. “Even superheroes don’t have control over their desires. And  _ you _ ,” he ran his tongue over her exposed shoulder, making her jump and whimper, “are an incredibly hard temptation to ignore.”

 

“Chat…”

 

“Yes, princess?”

 

“S-Slow down.” Breathing hard, she softly pushed his chest away and looked up at him. He gave her a puzzled cock of his head in return. “We should… we should talk. About stuff.  _ This _ .” She gestured to the thin space of air between them. “I-I just don’t want any misunderstandings, is all. Can we-?”

 

“Of course.” Chat Noir nodded quickly before stepping back and coughing, “I get it. Should we, like, sit down or…?”

 

She led him up to the second level, sitting them down on the edge of her bed and fidgeting idly with her comforter. Chat Noir was poised a good meter away from her, and she couldn’t figure out if that was a helpful gesture or not. Though she  _ did _ need a clean mind to get this talk over with, she still sought out his arms and the warmth radiating from his gloved hands. She thought that his presence really was a soothing thing to have, and the physical contact that they shared - whether it was intimate or not - always brought a sense of safety and security. With this in mind, she scooted a little closer and spun on her butt, purposely bumping their knees together, and faced him. It didn’t take long for him to copy her actions.

 

Legs now crossed underneath him, he cleared his throat and started, “So. How do people, uhhh,  _ discuss _ this sort of thing? Do they, kinda like, get to the point or something?”

 

“I-I guess? I haven’t really had the experience myself.” Marinette shrugged. “Never had a serious relationship before.”

 

Chat Noir blinked. “You’re joking.”

 

“Am not,” she barked back. “I’ve never had a boyfriend before so this is all new to me.”

 

“I thought you- okay, wait, back up, back up.” He punctuated the last few words with a few hasty shakes of his palms. “Boyfriend?”

 

“Yeeeaahh?”

 

One side of his mouth turned upwards, a playful indication, but it was shrouded with a faint shade of red under his mask. “You consider me your first relationship, Mari?”

 

At his question, she instantly blanched. “Oh God, I did  _ not _ mean to imply that.”

 

“But you said it!”

 

“I did no such thing, you stupid cat!” She grabbed one of her pillows and chucked it at his face. “Stop being so smug!”

 

Laughing, he caught her weapon and brought it to his chest. “You have no idea how honored I am, princess.”

 

“Shut. Up.” Marinette huffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. “I-I didn’t say you  _ were _ boyfriend. I just said… I said… ugggghh!”

 

“Calm down, Mari. I know what you meant.” A few more chuckles later, he continued, “I was just thinking how weird it was for you to be single all this time.”

 

“Flattering won’t get you anywhere, kitty.”

 

“No, I’m serious. You…” He flailed his arms vaguely at her direction. 

 

“What?”

 

“You’re a pretty girl,” he stated quietly. “And you weren’t that sloppy on our first kiss, either. I just figured you, ahh…”

 

“Had experienced?” Twirling a loose lock of hair as an excuse to look busy, she gazed down on her feet and avoided showing him her cheeks. He called her  _ pretty _ . It wasn’t like he’d never called her beautiful as Ladybug, but it felt different somehow when he called Marinette - her hazardous civilian self - like that. It was excruciatingly satisfying and nerve-wracking. “My first kiss ever was with you.”

 

“Same here.” He smiled. “By the way, I… I liked it. Our first kiss, I mean. I’m… I’m glad it was you and not just some random fangirl.”

 

She slapped his arm playfully despite how his kind words burned her heart. “Let’s just get down to business here, Chat. First thing’s first.” She opened her palms wide. “What  _ are  _ we?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“We aren’t exactly lovers. And friends don’t really make-out with each other in janitor closets. You have Ladybug and I have Adrien.”

 

“Right, right. I don’t wanna use the term ‘friends with benefits’ with you, either. So… can we just label our relationship as err…”

 

“Friends who help each other out?”

 

“Friends.”

 

“Y-Yeah.” She found herself worrying. “I consider you a friend, Chat. Don’t you?”

 

His eyes went big, as if she had just asked him if he’d ever eaten a mouse before. “Of course I do! Y-You’re actually one of the very few friends that I have. And you’re a girl, for that matter.”

 

“Really?” Chat Noir didn’t have many friends? That was too hard to believe, actually. He was proud, flirtatious and funny; why wouldn’t he be popular? Well, yes, his puns could be a pain at times, but he was so selfless and brave and friendly. Surely he’d have a wide ring of companions, right? But the way he had admitted it - cat ears drooping and eyes glistening - he didn’t show any sign of dishonesty.

 

Was her kitty actually a lonely person behind the mask?

 

“I don’t…” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Well, personally, I don’t really care what our relationship is called. We both care about each other, we joke around and stuff, and I will never intentionally hurt you. Isn’t that what friendship is about?”

 

“I suppose you have a point, kitty.” She smiled at him. Reaching out her hand, she placed her palm on his gloved hand. She looked at him in the eye and said, “You know I’ll never hurt you too, right? And that I’ll always be here for you? I call you my friend not just as a title, but I truly am here to help you any way I can. That includes your, ah, dilemma right now.”

 

Blinking, he merely stared at her, pupils blown wide and jaw hanging low. She noticed how his neck turned a few shades pink and how his fingers twitched underneath hers. For a split second, she panicked that she might’ve said something wrong, but the thought was quickly discarded when the boy darted forward suddenly, arms trapping her against him in a tight embrace. His body shook, like he was freezing, and his breath hitched in her ear. Panic switching to attentiveness, she returned the gesture, one hand on his back and the other patting his hair.

 

“Chat?” She whispered, her voice laced with concern. Was he weeping? “Chat, are you alright?”

 

He didn’t answer her question. Instead, he dipped his nose further into her shoulder, his hug tightening just a fraction. She felt his tail wrap around one of her ankles, as if he was scared of her leaving.

 

Marinette found herself torn between being worried and being sympathetic. Her partner in crime, the one person she could count on no matter how rough the road got, was breaking apart in her arms. He had always been the optimistic, the one who spewed encouragements and dumb pick-up lines her way nearly everyday, and she  _ always _ welcomed his laughs. She was beginning to wonder if whether his snickers and smirks were even genuine or not. Did the young man under the suit have the same freedom as Chat Noir did? Had  _ anyone _ supported him in his civilian self?

 

Never before had she felt such deep regret from hiding their identities until that moment. Just how much bitterness was he bottling up because of her selfish rule of secrecy? How many nights had he spent yearning for Ladybug to cleanse the demons festering in his bones? Just how much pain and isolation had she overlooked, when he had acted so carefree and bubbly?

 

With that at the forefront of her mind, she grabbed him with no warning, making him grunt in surprise. It was only because of his feline reflexes that he managed to balance himself with one hand on her mattress, the other one holding her in place. And despite their precarious position, she still tugged on his blond mane, hyper aware of how wet her shoulder had become, and stuck to his chest like a coala.

 

“Marinette…?” He mumbled hoarsely. “We’ll fall if you don’t let go.”

 

“Then fall we will,” she declared firmly.

 

“Come on, princess.” He tried to pry her fingers away, but she didn’t let him. Instead, she pulled him closer.

 

Perhaps it was because of her persistence, or her weight, or simply because he had given in, but he let her sink into her sheets, his own person following suit without disentangling their limbs in the process. They laid there, silent, and took the opportunity to count each other’s heartbeats. Marinette ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it back from his forehead and planting a soft kiss on his skin. He sniffed in response.

 

She tried to look at his face, to see what kind of expression he was wearing, but he fought her. Grabbing her by the wrists, he pinned them down at either side of her head, and remained at her shoulder. “Don’t,” he pleaded. “You can’t see me like this.”

 

“Why?” She wanted to soothe him. She wanted to hold him. Why wouldn’t he let her?

 

“I’m not Chat Noir right now.” He shook his head, spreading his tears over her neck. “C-Chat Noir doesn’t fall apart. I d-don’t know… what’s coming over me. It’s just that you… w-what you s-said…” He gulped audibly and let out a breath. “It’s been so long… And I’m sorry…”

 

“Chat-”

 

“I’m sorry.” He pressed his wet lips under her jaw. “I’m so sorry.” Another kiss. “I’m s-so sorry that you h-h-have to put up with me like this…”

 

“Chat.” Her tone was rising in alarm. She squirmed from his grip, and when he released her, she wasted no time in taking his face in her hands. What came into view was worse than she had expected, and she choked back a sob.

 

His green eyes were flecked with red veins, unshed tears still stuck to his lashes, and his cheeks and mask were soaked. When their eyes met, he hiccuped, and another wave came rushing down and dropped from his chin to her palms.

 

“Oh, my poor kitten.” Marinette whispered, her voice cracking. “You poor thing. What have they done to you?” She pecked his lips shakily. “Just… what happened to you, Chat?” Trying again, she managed to kiss him more properly, even though it left a salty taste on her tongue, she didn’t care. “Chat Noir…”

 

“I’m sorry… Princess, I-”

 

“Stop apologizing, you big dimwit.” Her gaze turned both hard and glassy. “Who hurt you like this? Was it Ladybug? Has she been too hard on you?”

 

“No,” he quickly rebuked. “Not my lady. She’s my world, Marinette, don’t be mistaken. She understands me, she honestly cares about me-”

 

“Then does she know what you’ve been going through?”

 

“She does not need to.”

 

“ _ Chat _ -”

 

“I’m her partner. She needs a level-headed person to work with her-”

 

“No, she  _ doesn’t _ !” 

 

“You have no idea what’s it like being a superhero, Marinette!” He pulled back from her and started wiping his eyes furiously. “I  _ can’t  _ be a burden to her - not my lady, of all people. I love her too much to drag her down. And she’s made it clear that we cannot share our personal lives to each other. It’s too risky. I respect her wish. Besides, having patrols with her, fighting akumas, being a team and having one another’s backs - it’s the only thing rooting me to this fucked up world.”

 

When the curse word slipped from his tongue, he winced, but didn’t take it back. 

 

“I’m serious, Marinette,” he continued, gentler this time. “Don’t tell anyone about this. I… I can handle my problems without Ladybug worrying about me. Her hands are busy enough trying to catch Hawkmoth and his evil butterflies.”

 

“Then if you won’t let Ladybug worry,” she shifted a little and sat up, balanced on her knees, and cradled his face again. “Then let  _ me _ worry. If you don’t want your partner to worry, then I can’t talk you out of it. But I’m your friend, Chat. Please.” She kissed his forehead and lingered there for a moment. “Give me permission to share the weight. Give me permission to  _ help you. _ ”

 

For a fraction of a second, he sat stock-still, as if she had paralyzed him, until consciousness regained its place in his body and he moved. It was a light caress to her hips at first, and then his legs parted and crossed, and then he was guiding her to sit on his ankles. Most of the moisture had fallen free from his eyes now, but they were still red and puffy. His next move shocked her, however, as the tips of his claws gently hooked into her hairbands, their sharpness making them snap almost immediately from contact. Hair now loose, he carefully wrung them out and over her shoulders, framing her delicate features in blue-black curtains.

 

“Beautiful  _ and  _ kind-hearted,” he murmured, almost to himself. “How is it that I haven’t noticed you sooner, princess? Had Hawkmoth somehow cast a spell on me to make me blind?” The edges of his mouth crept upwards. “Truly a magnificent sight, and it took me so long to figure that out.”

 

She was about to say something to him when he silenced her with a flick of his tongue over her lips. He chuckled playfully while she pouted. He couldn’t even lie to his own brain any longer - that he was falling for Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his shy and wonderful classmate, so hard and fast that he didn’t even care if he crashed and burned at the end. And if the way she was trying to conceal her blush was any indication, then she might accompany him in his free falling afterall.

 

“I will never hurt you, princess,” he swore yet again. “I’ll always protect you, as how you’re trying to protect me. You have to know that I’ll forever be in your debt for this. But if one day you can’t handle it-”

 

“I can  _ handle _ you, kitty-cat.” Marinette giggled. “You’re pretty tame. For an alley cat, that is.”

 

“Me-ouch! Your words have pierced me.”

 

She laughed again. Holding him to her chest, she also wondered to herself of how she had been so blindsided to Chat Noir. He was, in a way, so endearing in the most broken way possible afterall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my tumblr: irakirih  
> I don't update often, but when I do, I show my Miraculous trash side :3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (comes out of a trash can) hello.

It was a weird feeling, Adrien thought. Not the kind that was uncomfortable or unpleasant, but the kind that felt unfamiliar but at the same time fitted so well with him. It was a warm sensation, something that started from his chest, his arms, and the tips of his knees. He didn’t remember having a pillow so hard and yet so nice to hold. Instinctively, he pulled it closer against his body and let out a soft hum when the heat spreaded out some - through his neck and then his stomach until the entire front side of his physique could bask in its presence.

 

He sighed after a minute, eyes still closed, but his mind was enjoying his new huggable pillow way too much to let him go back to sleep. He decided that he would very much want to stay in bed and skip school just so he could hang out in his bed all day.

 

He draped one of his legs over the object of his good mood and was determined to rest. That was, until his thigh brushed a patch of smooth skin.

 

His eyes immediately flew open, but all that greeted him was darkness. The sky outside the window was black, so that meant-

 

Wait a minute.

 

He didn’t own a window that small.

 

Blinking, he carefully ducked his head, but halfway through the motion, a cloud of soft hair met his chin. His heart jumped, but he couldn’t say that he was flustered. Maybe it was because of his drowsy consciousness, or maybe it was because the never-leaving warmth that still stuck to him, but the only emotion that he could register was tender awe. Awe, because he had the most precious, the most selfless, and the most cuddly girl in all of Paris right there in his embrace.

 

Adrien couldn’t hold back the chuckles that vibrated his body. And being so close to her meant that the movement went straight to her, making her grumble sleepily and tucking herself deeper down the comforter and even more flush against him.

 

Marinette let out a breath and then a light snore, tickling his arm that was situated under her head. Her back was pressed firmly to his chest, hence the unusual feeling Adrien has woken up to. He’d never had someone sleep with him in bed before. It had always been cold sheets and the stench of cheese that bid him good morning. So having her there, so peaceful and so welcoming, made his stomach flip and mind racing.

 

He had been reluctant to let his eyes droop last night, but now he was over the clouds with giddiness. 

 

When he brought his free hand up to pat the top of her head, he honestly shouldn’t have been surprised to see it ungloved, but he was. His transformation must have dropped when they fell asleep. Did she see his face? Did she know his identity?

 

Gulping down the sudden surge of anxiety, he carefully slipped his arm from underneath her person as best as he could, although she stirred some. He had to pause a couple of times, too afraid to wake her. Thankfully, his princess seemed to be a heavy sleeper because she maintained her dream throughout his shifts and stutters.

 

Once he was disentangled, he toed his way around her bed and down the ladder, wishing he had his night vision. “Plagg?” He whispered. “Where are you? Time to go.”

 

But he  _ really _ didn’t want to leave. Sweet temptation knocked on his mind, begging him to crawl back to bed with his beautiful classmate and take refuge in there forever. Plus, the house smelled so thickly of sugar and butter! That alone was enough to make him melt with satisfaction. He didn’t need to stay in a gingerbread house, just a small bakery in Paris would do. Especially if the owners’ daughter was one endearing girl  _ and _ a devilish kisser to boot.

 

Instinctively, Adrien slapped his cheek and forced a sharp breath in his lungs. He would _ not _ have such vulgar thoughts about pastries and Marinette.

 

Again, he called out quietly, “Plagg, come on, stop playing around. We have to get home before-”

 

He heard a clang of metal to metal, a soft ping that was enough to be ignored by slumbering people, but not to Adrien’s heightened senses. He opened the latch on the floor but stopped himself midway and dropped it shut again only to bound over to where Marinette laid asleep. Breath caught in his throat, he marvelled at the way her hair fanned out around her face, making her look so angelic and at the same time so mouthwatering. He shook his head at the last thought, determined to at least keep his desire at bay when she was so defenseless, and got down on his knees before her. Hands on the mattress, balancing himself a little too precariously, he leaned down and gave her a light peck on her forehead. And, if he was going to be a sick romantic about it, he honestly thought that he saw her lips quirk upwards.

 

It was enough, he chided himself. She was sleeping, and he was a hormonal boy that had somehow wormed his way into her bedroom without any supervision. Well, he had Plagg, but that little demon-cat wasn’t exactly the best chaperone. If anything,  _ Adrien  _ was in charge of making sure his kwami didn’t create too much of a mess during photo shoots, classes, and even baths.

 

So the blond wasn’t shocked to find the flying ancient being hovering in front of the Dupain-Cheng’s refrigerator, a piece of cheese stuck in his tiny mouth while a few bowls were scattered on the ground. Adrien folded his arms sternly, giving his not-very-pleased-with-you-right-now look. Plagg merely shrugged and swallowed his snack. “I got hungry,” the kwami said.

 

“Yeah, I can see that. But  _ seriously, _ Plagg? In someone else’s  _ home _ ?” Adrien gestured wildly at the misplaced utensils. “Have you no restraint?”

 

“Like you have the right to lecture me about ‘restraint’.” Plagg audibly gagged. “Have you heard the noises you and Marinette make? God, it’s worse than a banshee’s scream. Disgusting.”

 

Adrien choked on his spit. Had they really been that vocal? He should probably record it, just in case-

 

  1. BAD BRAIN.



 

“I-I have restraint!” He squeaked but instantly clapped his mouth shut when he realized he’d been too loud for comfort. In a much more hushed voice, he hissed, “You’re the one going through Marinette’s kitchen! How are you gonna cover this up?”

 

“Oh, that’s where you come in, kid.”

 

“ _ What _ -”

 

“Enough chit-chat, it’s the middle of the night and I need a nap after my meal. You stack, I tell you what to do.”

 

“Plagg, I swear-”

 

“Now put that pink bowl on that shelf there.”

 

Growling and sticking out his tongue, he eventually gave in and fixed the chaos that Plagg had made. It took little time, but the food that Plagg had scourged was irreplaceable. He’d make sure to replace them on a later date.

 

After a quick transformation and a leap through one of the windows, he was bounding across rooftops and street lamps towards his cold bedroom.

 

The next morning, however, he was unexpectedly not late for school. Even though he had slept through his alarm, couldn’t find his shoes, and had a rare bad hair day, he had managed to enter the classroom before the bell rang. Still drowsy and half-awake, he scrubbed his face with his hands and groaned in his seat. It couldn’t have been more than four hours since he had cuddled with Marinette, but he was aching for more contact already. It had been... almost painful to leave her house, and even when he made numerous jumps and leaps on the way to his own home, he couldn’t kick away the nagging voice that told him to turn back around.

 

Unfortunately for him, Marinette was going through her morning routine - being tardy. He had hoped that she’d be early so he could at least have a bit of contact, but alas, the season wasn’t in his favor and his building need to be near her kept festering like a virus.

 

He had tried to be a gentleman towards the other girls in class, Chloe especially. The girl hadn’t taken pity on his dilemma and was persistent at getting his attention (which was no surprise). But he dug up every bit of control he had and held her at a proper distance even when she dove for a kiss on his cheek. The tiny peck on his skin still jump-started his pulse, driving his blood to the wrong places, but he swallowed it all down before politely asking her to go. Chloe had gasped, laying the false hurt on a bit too thick, but was forced to take her seat anyway when the teacher came.

 

And yet Marinette was still absent. God, he missed her.

 

Nino clapped him on the shoulder. “Dude, this has gone on long enough.”

 

Adrien whipped his head towards his friend. “Um - what?” He squeaked a bit too loudly. Their teacher paused her lecture to eye him curiously but otherwise brushed it off. Clearing his throat, Adrien whispered, “What are you talking about?”

 

“I’m talking about how you’re acting really creepy lately.”

 

“Wha- pfft, nah, no, Nino, no.” Adrien laid back on his seat, trying desperately and failing to look casual. “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Nino pointed a finger in his direction. “That,” Nino said flatly. “ _ That’s _ what I’m talking about.” Adrien was about to protest but Nino marched on in a hush voice. “You’ve been jumpy for a few days now. Like, more-than-usual kind of jumpy. You hide from Chloe now - and let me remind you, I’ve been telling you to shake her off for good since we first became buds. You won’t let Rose get you any drinks. You won’t let Mylene hide behind you when she sees a bug. You won’t even let Alix give you a high-five. What gives?”

 

“C-Come on, I’m... haven’t you considered that I’m… err, you know…?” Adrien attempted to pick at an excuse,  _ any  _ excuse, because giving out a lie to protect his secret wasn’t anything new to him anymore. But his mind halted its race. His tongue resisted his words. He had nothing to offer as a shield. What was he supposed to say? Nino was his best friend, he trusted him more than words could describe, but revealing that he was going through some kind of puberty v 2.0? No, that was too absurd.

 

Adrien scratched the back of his head and let his shoulders droop. This was going to end badly.

 

Nino raised an eyebrow and raised his hands. “Look, I’m no genius, but I can tell when my bro’s in a stump.” Nino clapped him on the back solemnly. “Soda on me, okay?”

 

Winded, if not a bit relieved, Adrien’s mouth tugged up slightly. He knew deep down that their bromance would blossom into something awesome.

 

“Make that two sodas,” a sly little voice chirped.

 

The two boys craned their necks around to stare at Alya, bewildered that the redhead had decided to join in their conversation. Not that Adrien minded, he liked Alya as a friend ever could, and Nino had a very tender spot in his heart reserved for her, but the look in her eyes right then was a bit… unnerving.

 

Nino caught on her plan before the little satan child even smiled. “Ah, anything for you, my dear.” He grinned. Alya grinned back, her teeth glinting in the light and making her look even more like a fox hunting for a snack.

 

“Great! I can’t wait to hear all about this ‘dilemma’ our baby boy apparently has, too.”

 

Aaaand that was his que to panic. “W-What?”

 

“You’re literally sitting right in front of me,” Alya said. “I can  _ hear you _ .”

 

Adrien gulped. Oh how he wished his princess were here to keep their beast of a mother in check. Well, as in check as Alya would allow, at least. “Look, Alya, there’s nothing  _ wrong _ ,” Adrien started. “Just… guy problems, y’know?”

 

Alya’s eyes unexpectedly blew wide. “Oh God.”

 

“What?” He had definitely not gone for that expression.

 

“Adrien, my dear, foolish son.” Alya rubbed her temples. “‘Boy problems’ always have something to do with a girl. Who is she?”

 

Adrien completely lost all color. God dammit, how the hell did this girl find out?! Reporter blood, he assumed dejectedly. “Whaaaaat?” He droned out pathetically in a high-pitched voice.

 

“Bingo?” Nino inquired.

 

“Nope. It’s a fucking  _ jackpot.”  _ Alya nodded. She sighed once, long and serious. “Look, I’m not gonna tell Mari. So let’s get all this over with before-”

 

“This has  _ nothing _ to do with Marinette!” Adrien rebuked loudly.

 

Emphasis the  _ loudly. _

 

Half of the class snickered his way, with the teacher eyeing him with little patience left. “You three,” she pointed her manicured finger at them. “OUT.”

 

~0~0~

 

Honestly, Alya didn't mind getting out of class. This was the perfect opportunity to ditch and hang outside, with the beautiful understanding that her friends were dying slowly in a room of boredom. It was the most relaxing thing.

 

But sitting behind the school, their backs against the walls, their shoes scraping the grass under the steps, she did not feel the least bit relaxed. Not because of how damp the air was there, or how she was practically sitting on a bed of moss on the top step, but because of how Adrien looked flushed and embarrassed. His head ducked into his collar, blond locks hanging over his eyes that Marinette always gushed about.

 

Oh, Marinette.

 

Alya had had her suspicions about Adrien. He was a soft boy, he rarely hung out with people his age, and he was always restrained in his big house. A person like that, let loose in an environment full of all kinds of teenagers (girls, to be more precise), would of course fall in a dark pit called silent love. He showed it at times, like how he would have a dreamy expression when Ms. Bustier discussed a romantic novel. And the small hope in her heart had whispered to her that it might be aimed towards her best friend.

 

Could it be that she had somehow read all his signals wrong?

 

She sighed and plucked Nino’s cap off his head, playing idly with the rim. “So. This girl. Tell us about her,” she murmured.

 

Adrien chewed his lip. He just shrugged.

 

She glanced at Nino. The boy tried, “Hey, bro, if you don't want to say her name, that's cool. But at least give us a clue about your problem. We want to help.”

 

Adrien bumped the back of his against cement. “I'm just… confused. I mean, I know that I kinda like her, but I also like someone else, but this someone else doesn't like me back. And this girl is just so  _ nice  _ and- and she gets me. Maybe not as much as this other girl, but she sees through my stupidity and humor and actually sees me. You know?”

 

“No,” Alya and Nino answered in union.

 

Adrien groaned. “I-I don't get it myself. Much less explain it.”

 

“Let me try to decipher this.” Alya squinted her eyes at the sky. “So… this girl, named A, is the girl you have a crush on. But you also have another crush on another girl, B.”

 

Adrien nodded.

 

“Sooo… you're basically stumped on who to pick.”

 

“Well…” Adrien fiddled with his fingers. “I-I think I have an idea about  _ who _ to pick. For now. But umm…”

 

The blond’s cheeks immediately reddened. Adrien shifted in his sitting position.

 

And just then, Nino jolted, an odd but sharp light in his eyes. Nino grabbed his cap from Alya’s hands, emitting a loud yelp of protest from her, and placed it firmly on his head, a soldier's gaze plastered on. “Alya, can you leave the both of us alone for a minute?” He asked sternly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!! Well, um, it's been awhile? XD
> 
> I honestly apologize for the hiatus. I'm in high school and I know most of you guys are too, so please understand my struggles lol. I'm in my final year now tho~
> 
> Now please excuse me as I cower in front of a monster called college.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys see that freaking balcony scene?! Oh God Marichat is canon and nobody can tell me otherwise.

Adrien’s father was always a perfectionist, a man with many demands, and sometimes Adrien felt like whatever he did, his father would have something to be angry about.

 

But Nino wasn’t a very intimidating person. He was friendly and chill, even too chill sometimes. He had his grouchy days, sure, but put some headphones on his head and he’d be good to go. Not many things tipped him off, and Adrien liked that. 

 

Oh how Adrien could say that now.

 

The both of them were off to one side of the school, still walking through grass, leaving a perplexed Alya behind. Nino was spinning his cap with one finger, his eyes still roaming but never resting on his best friend.

 

Adrien fidgeted as he kept his pace next to him. It was too strange not to hear Nino’s voice after so long. When Nino had stepped around the corner, Adrien had cast a fleeting look at Alya, an urgent question hanging from his mouth. Alya had shrugged, dumbfounded, if not a little panicked as well.

 

Nino had never been this serious before. Yes, granted, he had fumed when Gabriel had denied a birthday party a few months ago, but this was different. It was like a thick cloud had settled between them, alive with electricity that could shock anyone who moved.

 

Adrien took a deep breath. “Can you please say something?” He murmured, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I mean, is it really so bad that you have to-”

 

“Adrien,” Nino huffed as he ceased spinning his cap. “Look.”

 

And he did. He looked at him, at his best bud, and waited.

 

Nino exhaled from his nose before pointing a finger at Adrien’s crotch.

 

Adrien couldn't tell if he blanched or blushed. Instinctively, he covered himself. “W-wh-wha-?!”

 

“Boners?!” Nino exclaimed. “Really?”

 

“Ni- dude, bro, not so loud!” Adrien hissed frantically. “What’s wrong with you?”

 

“Me? I’m not the one going all wood all day!”

 

“Wha- the fu- hey, hey, time out. Okay.” Adrien groaned long and loud, head in his hands and heart in his feet. “Dude. Just.  _ What _ ?”

 

“You’re having your puberty right under my nose and I didn't even know about it and- well, okay, I did the first time but I didn't think there were more than that and you didn't even bother to ask me or- or just freakin’  _ say something. _ ” Nino pinched the bridge of his nose, trying unsuccessfully to keep it together. “Adrien, I’m…”

 

“Nino?”

 

“Dude, remember the first week we became friends?”

 

Adrien scrunched his eyebrows at the sudden question. “Well, yeah, sort of.”

 

“You told me in class that you hated your job.” Nino held up a finger. “You hated your home.” He held up another finger. “You thought that your  _ father _ hated you.” Another finger. “Your mother left.” And another finger. “All that. In one  _ fucking _ week.”

 

“Yeah.” Adrien remembered those. He remembered the time, the place, the tears. He remembered being raw for the first time in all his life, being so free to speak out loud, and being so open. And being so vulnerable. “But what does that have to do with this?”

 

“You tell me everything, Adrien.” Nino looked at him, his eyes sad. Sad and not angry. “So, why didn't you tell me about…” Not knowing how to finish, he gestured vaguely towards his- yeah, you know.

 

“I-I…” Adrien stammered. “I didn't think it was… well,” Adrien bit his lip, trying desperately to think his next words through. “Nino, it- it’s just so  _ weird. _ ” Oh boy did he express that well.

 

“You once told me you dreamt about being a professional cheese taster,” Nino said flatly. “We’ve gone past weird, like, four months ago.”

 

“Well.”

 

“Adrien,” Nino murmured as he fingered the rim of his cap. “I just… yeah, it sounds pretty extra now, but for a second there I thought you didn't trust me enough to tell me.”

 

“Hey, that's not it!” Adrien quickly rebuked. “I was overwhelmed with everything as it is, and- and this  _ girl _ , she just…”

 

“Oh, and that.” Nino pointed. “That, you didn't tell me either.”

 

Adrien winced. “Sorry. But I’ll spill now. I promise. And not out of guilt. I did-  _ do _ want to tell you, but I was too scared.”

 

“What can you possibly be scared about?” Nino raised an eyebrow as he held up his hands in confusion. “It’s not like you’re in love with Alya or something, right?”

 

“Worse.” Adrien looked around the field, trying to spot anyone eavesdropping, before stepping closer to Nino. He took a deep breath and whispered something in his ear.

~0~0~

 

Marinette was used to being late. The running, the sweat, the angry glares. But what she  _ wasn't  _ used to was the empty seats that surrounded her during class. She had sat down, confused, and thought whether she was in the right class or not. She figured that Adrien was in another photoshoot, much to her disappointment. Alya hadn’t texted her anything. Was she sick? And Nino. He was usually the early one.

 

After half an hour, Alya showed up at the door. The teacher tried to look as stern as she possibly could at a disinterested teen. “Where are Adrien and Nino?”

 

“I would love to know, too.” Was all Alya said.

 

The teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Back to your seat, please.”

 

As soon as Alya sat herself down, Marinette instantly asked, “What happened?”

 

“Oh, girl…” Alya abruptly wailed. “It’s bad news. I don't know how to explain.”

 

“Girls, do  _ not _ make me kick the both of you to the principal's office,” The teacher snapped.

 

They murmured a quick apology, but Marinette was still curious about what Alya had to say. Her best friend looked sad for some reason. Well, not  _ sad _ exactly. She was making what Marinette liked to call 'her reporter face’ - deep in thought, her finger circling and tapping the desk like she was mentally making a note. Her eyes were constantly darting to the door, as if she was expecting an explosion to happen.

 

Marinette took out her tablet, but instead of doing their project, she wrote out,  _ “Tell me what's wrong.” _

 

Alya took the stylus, if not a little shakily. Alya’s eyes locked on hers for a second. Marinette furrowed her brows. Sighing, Alya wrote,  _ “Adrien has a secret.” _

 

_ “What secret?” _

 

Alya twirled the stylus in contemplation. With one final flick of her wrist, she replied,  _ “Later.” _

 

Oh, now Marinette was  _ really _ curious. She tried to catch her friend's gaze, but it never connected through. Her heart was slowly turning too heavy in her chest. Did something happen to him? Is he moving? Is he quitting school? IS HE GETTING MARRIED? Marinette panicked. God, no, DID HE GET SOMEONE PREGNANT AND NOW HE HAS TO GO INTO HIDING AND CHANGE HIS NAME TO BOB AND SAY GOODBYE TO HER AND -

 

Just then, the door creaked open. Adrien walked in first, a polite smile gracing his face as he spoke with the teacher, followed by Ni… no? Well, yeah, it was Nino alright. But he looked-

 

“Um,” Marinette whispered. “Do you think he’s, uh, okay?”

 

“Hell, no.” Alya winced. “He definitely blew a fuse.”

 

Nino was holding his cap in his hands. Eyes downcasted and mouth slightly ajar, he looked like he had seen the depths of the underworld. Or a tampon (Alya would know). For the whole time Adrien was apologizing, Nino didn't once look up.

 

Finally, they were dismissed to their seats.

 

Alya shook Nino’s shoulder. Two seconds passed before he turned around. “Can’t tell you,” Nino answered her unspoken question. “I wish I could but…”

 

“Nino swore to me not to.” Adrien added solemnly. 

 

Nino shivered visibly.

 

“What the…?” Alya looked at Adrien, at Nino, at Marinette, and back to Nino. “Dude, I swear to God if you don't spill…”

 

“I  _ can’t _ !” Nino exclaimed, burying his face into his hat.

 

From the distance, the teacher mumbled lifelessly, “Why do I even bother.”

 

“It’s a bro code!” Nino added. “And I will  _ not _ betray the code.”

 

Alya gasped audibly, eyes manically wide and one hand on her chest. “You fucking traitor!”

 

They all faintly heard the teacher say, “Language.”

 

Marinette blinked in confusion. She looked at Alya first. “Um. Do you mind explaining?”

 

“Ask Adrien over there.” Alya grit her teeth.

 

“There's nothing to explain.” Adrien shrugged and wrapped a firm arm around his best friend. “Right, Nino?”

 

“Yeah. Sure.” Nino shot a look at Marinette. She guessed that he was asking for help, but he quickly whipped his head away again, like he’d just spotted an akuma behind her. Marinette frowned, a little more baffled now. “Nothing to explain, alright.”

 

The bell rang overhead.

 

“Oh, thank God.” The teacher sighed before picking up her things, casting a glare at the three teens. “There will be no tolerance next time.” Was all she said before darting out the door.

 

“So, Marinette,” Adrien completely ignored the teacher. Which was a first, as Alya and Marinette eyed him in shock. Nino fell silent, but his gaze seemed to be even more sharp than the girls’. “Can I walk you to your locker?”

 

“Muh- mm- my lock-er?” Marinette choked.

 

Alya’s mouth fell open. She looked at Nino, who in turn smiled.

 

“Yeah, let's go.” Adrien stood up and offered her his hand. “We’ll be late for our next class.”

 

When Marinette didn't move, Alya grabbed her wrist and placed it in Adrien's grasp. A second later, the two were disappearing into the hallway, leaving Alya and Nino dumbfounded in their seats.

 

The two hadn't made a move to get up. There was an uneasy air between them - The calm before the storm, some might call it. But Alya didn't look angry. Nino knew her well enough to figure out that the gears in her head were turning rapidly, and she was sorting out her questions in her head. He waited patiently for her to fire the bullets that she had kept the moment he dismissed her. He waited, and waited, until not a single person was in the room besides them, but she didn't open her mouth.

 

Deciding that prolonging the inevitable was pointless, he exhaled softly and whispered, “Look, it’s not… as simple as it seems, apparently.”

 

Alya nodded.

 

“Adrien, he’s… got some things to sort out. In a really shitty way, if I might add, but he needs to do it on his own.”

 

“Nino, you said that you can't tell me, right?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“So, I can just guess, right?” Alya looked at him, straight into his eyes. 

 

If it were anyone else, they would've flinched away from her primal gaze, but this was Nino. He was used to seeing fire within her, and he wouldn’t want to see anything but. “Give me your best deduction then.”

 

“He finally noticed her.” Alya grinned. “Didn't he?”

 

“Oooh, yeah.”

 

At that, Alya whooped loudly, punching her fist in the air, but Nino hastily shushed her. “Alya, keep it down! There's more to it than that!”

 

“What does the rest matter? My ship is fucking happening!”

 

“Uh, no, it  _ does  _ matter.” Nino scratched the back of his head in distress. “Heck, I’m really freaking out over this.”

 

Alya froze. Slowly, she lowered her hands. “Wait. It’s that serious?”

 

“Well, not anything  _ unusual _ . Like, err…” Nino coughed. “Nah, I can't really put out any more clues.”

 

The redhead narrowed her eyes as the flame behind them flickered again. Her lips quirked up to one side. “You know I’m going to dig out the information, one way or another.”

 

Nino leaned forward, held her cheek gently with his palm, and kissed her other cheek. “I’d like to see you try, honey.”

 

~0~0~

 

Marinette dropped her bag tiredly on the floor. As she fell face-first onto her bed, she groaned, followed by a louder squeal that was muffled by her pillow. Her legs kicked the air as she squirmed about her mattress, holding her pillow tightly against her chest. “Tiiikiii….” She wailed. “What am I going to dooo…?”

 

“Oh, Marinette,” Tikki crooned. “It’s not so bad!”

 

“H-He told me that I-I…” Marinette squeaked. “He mmngghhhaaahhh I can't even say it!”

 

“He said that you looked pretty today.” Tikki finished for her, giggling.

 

Marinette blushed. And screamed again into her pillow.

 

Tikki rolled her eyes, but still smiled fondly at her charge. The ancient creature floated over and rested on Marinette's shoulder. “He was such a gentleman about it, too.” Tikki commented. 

 

“But Tikki…” Marinette removed the pillow from her face. “He’s  _ never _ gotten out of his way to say that to  _ me _ . And why now? Why now, when things are so…”

 

“Awkward?”

 

“I was going to say uneasy, but that works too.” Marinette rolled over and stared at her ceiling. “Not to mention I ran away. Again.”

 

“Yes,” Tikki winced. “You left the poor boy hanging.”

 

“Do you think he'll take it all back?” Marinette panicked. “D-Do you think he'll change his mind about me? What if it’s too late for me and-”

 

“Calm down, Marinette,” Tikki closed her mouth with her tiny paws. Her bulbous eyes twinkled as she continued, “Adrien is a nice boy. And you should do the right thing and be nice back. Just call him.”

 

“But Tikki…” 

 

Without missing a beat, Tikki picked up her phone from her bag and handed it to her. The metal chilled Marinette’s hand. “Call him,” Tikki urged.

 

She looked at Tikki for a long moment, and even longer at her phone. Her thumbs idly scrolled through her contacts. Taking a deep breath, she stopped at Adrien's name and hovered over the call button.

 

When she was about to press it, a soft knocking came from her window.

 

Without even looking, Marinette had a strong feeling as to who it was. Tikki seemed to know too as the little one zipped into a basket of yarn, chirping, and out of sight.

 

Chat Noir clambered in, pale from the cold air, but rosy-cheeked upon seeing her. “Am I late, purr-incess?” He inquired before shuffling over and sitting next to her on the bed.

 

She scoffed and flicked the bell hanging over his throat. “Not at all, kitty.”

 

“Good,” he smirked and leaned a little closer, his lips brushing over her nose. “Because I would hate to keep my princess…” his green eyes caught the light of her phone, still encompassed in her hand, but the name that popped up was clear as day to him. “Waiting.”

 

Marinette furrowed her brows when he stopped his approach. “What is it?”

 

Chat Noir smiled softly, radiant with affection, which made Marinette's heart stutter for a minute. What did that look mean? It was having a weird effect on her stomach, and she couldn't tell if was butterflies or anticipation.

 

She followed his line of sight and finally noticed her screen, still bright with Adrien's contact. She flushed and shuffled the phone before turning it off and flinging it to the other side of the bed. “Hahaha, oh, I was just texting him,” she tried. “For homework. And stuff.”

 

“And stuff.”

 

Marinette nodded vigorously.

 

His smile never faltered. With his claws, he raked them through her hair, which felt nice and innocent enough, but he dragged them down her back, and it wasn’t so innocent anymore. Marinette audibly gasped when he pulled her forward, flushed against him, his mouth hot on the shell of her ear. “You know, I really did mean it when I said I didn't mind you loving him.” He nipped her earlobe, eliciting a shiver from her.  “But  _ fuck _ , I have to admit that I am a bit pissed that he hogs all your attention.”

 

“Y-You have me now.”

 

“And apparently  _ he _ had you just a couple of minutes ago too,” he growled. “Too bad I have to steal you away for awhile.” He heard her cry out when he sunk his teeth into her neck, sucking lightly at first on her flesh before releasing her. He soothed her with a more careful hand on her thigh, silently enjoying the way she quivered above his lap. “Too bad an alley cat like me has his princess in chains right now.”

 

She tried to keep her voice down, she really did, but the way he kept assaulting her skin was too much to bear. He nibbled her jaw, caressed her back, drove her mad with lust.

 

And all too soon, Chat Noir backed away. She whimpered and tried to chase his lips, but he held her at a distance. His lips were as red as his face, Marinette noticed, and it made her feel proud that  _ she _ made him like this. Not her Ladybug persona, her bold and beautiful and graceful alter ego, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the awkward school girl.

 

She was about to say something when he retrieved her phone from the pool of blankets. He handed it to her, a new sort of glint shining in his eyes. “You were about to call him, weren't you?” He asked, breathless.

 

She blinked up at him and then at her phone. “Well, yeah, but-”

 

“Then, do it.”

 

Marinette's eyes blew wide at the same time her heart stopped beating. “Wha- buh-  _ why _ ?” She cried. “Chat, are you crazy?!”

 

He grinned, which was a good indicator that he was. “You heard me. Call him.”

 

“I-I’ll call him later!”

 

“I want to hear you talk to him.” He shrugged. He flicked his tail in the air, much like how a cat would when it caught the rat that it’s been hunting down. “Come on, humor me. Reassure me that you do in fact treat me differently than him.”

 

“I-I-I uhh…”

 

He moved forward, his long and slender arms resting on either side of her body. Marinette, in return, scooted back. Their eyes locked together, watchful, as Marinette's back hit her headboard. 

 

Chat Noir has cornered her.

 

Attentively, he lifted her hand that was holding the phone up to her ear, gave her a swift kiss, and whispered, “Call him.”

 

He pressed feather-light pecks on her neck, barely touching her at all but still managing to make her tingle with want.

 

She gulped. What was he up to? She couldn't possibly call Adrien! Not with her partner around. How would he react if he heard one of Paris’s superhero's voice through the speaker? He’d never speak to her again!

 

And yet, there was something in Chat’s voice that tempted her. Sultry and low and all too good to brush off. And it made her curious as to where things could go.

 

But! Marinette shook her head out of the cloud of hormones raging through her senses. No, calling would be stupid. Very, very stupid!

 

Chat lifted her shirt up, exposing her skin to the cool air, and she gasped when he ran his tongue over her stomach. She mewled, a little too loud for safety, but she couldn't help it. “Chat, please…”

 

“Ah, ah, ah.” He teased. He tugged her shirt back down, much to her dismay and annoyance. “Call.”

 

“The fuck is wrong with- ooohhh.” She threw her head back at the sensation Chat Noir was giving her from groping her breast. He kneaded her flesh in a lazy pace, evidently teasing her.

 

“I’ll be a good cat, I paw-mise.” She heard him murmur.

 

Marinette's vision was clouded with black. She wanted him, so badly. But he refused to give her the satisfaction. She grunted in protest, and he chuckled.

 

She hesitated for a moment.

 

And before she knew it, she had pressed the call button on her phone.

 

With bated breath, she waited for it to ring. Chat Noir had dropped his hand from her person, but his nose was still buried in the crook of her neck. She could feel the little piece of shit grinning.

 

A pause, and then a beep.  _ “Hey, you’ve reached Adrien Agreste’s phone!”  _ Adrien. Oh God, Adrien, and his voice. She was about to open her mouth when the voice continued,  _ “I’m busy at the moment, so leave a message. And if this is Nathalie, well, please don’t tell Father.” _

 

Another beep.

 

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. Voicemail. He was busy. He didn't pick up the phone. She didn't think it was possible, but her heart sang with joy that Adrien didn't answer her. Figuring that she had won, she was about to put her phone down when Chat Noir whispered into her other ear, “You heard him. Leave a message.”

 

She shot him an indignant look. He shot back a smirk.

 

“Um,” Marinette cleared her throat. “H-Hi, Adrien. It’s Mari. Marinette.” Marinette raised a confused eyebrow at her partner, but he had gone back to headbutting her neck. “I just, uh, wanted to apologise for to-” Marinette suddenly bit her tongue to stop a moan from escaping her throat. Chat Noir was leaving little bite marks around her skin. “Uhm, f-for today.” She grabbed Chat’s hair in her fist and tried to pry him off, but he did not comply. “About, you know, running off. A-” Marinette held back a whimper. “Again.”

 

Chat, being the ultimate prick, chuckled. She grabbed his hair tighter. “So, um. Yeah.” Marinette glared daggers into Chat’s skull. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. G’night.”

 

She practically flung her phone away, ignoring the thud it made as it descended somewhere, and pushed Chat Noir back until he fell flat on the mattress. “I  _ hate _ you, Chat.” She hissed between fiery kisses. He could barely contain his laughter now, letting the onslaught happen with tears in his eyes. She bit his ear, his neck, but he didn't cease.

 

“I-I’m so sorry, purr-incess,” he snorted. “But I didn't t-think you would actually cave.”

 

With one final bite, she released him, scrambled into a sitting position, and slapped his arm. “ _ Shut up _ !” She cried. “Uughh, Chat, you are the worst.”

 

“Sorry, sorry.” He wiped his eyes with his arm, exhausted. Not the kind that he had originally hoped for upon coming over, but it was still amazing.

 

And that night, Chat Noir was kicked out from her bedroom. Quite literally. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chill chapter this time! Enjoy :D

Adrien winced as he tugged down the collar of his shirt. Inspecting himself in the mirror, he couldn't decide whether he was horrified or aroused at the sight of  _ hickeys _ splattered over the skin of his neck.

 

He let out a ragged breath, allowing another minute to be wasted in checking out the love bites that Marinette had left him the night before. So caught up in his own prank, he hadn't fully registered the force of his princess's teeth. Although, thinking it through now, he wouldn't have bothered to tell her to slow down anyways, what with the shot of adrenaline that flowed through him at every contact of her-

 

Plagg’s obnoxious whistle broke his train of thought. “Oooh, nice marks, kid,” Plagg said, far too cheekily in the morning.

 

“Can it, Plagg.” Adrien rolled his eyes, trying desperately to keep a blush at bay. He scratched the back of his neck, brows still furrowed at his reflection. “This is going to be a pain to hide.”

 

“Meh,” Plagg shrugged as he floated around the room with his tiny paws resting behind his head. “Ain’t  _ that _ bad. My kittens usually liked scars after a night of intimacy.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Adrien huffed. “Unlike me,  _ they _ didn't have photoshoots pushed into their schedules.” He ruffled his hair in dismay, the situation dawning on him a little too late. As much as he liked the sight of Marinette marking her territory on him, the aftermath wasn't very appealing, no matter what his hormonal head had to say about it.

 

“Maybe not as models, but they did have their own reasons to stay unmarked,” Plagg explained vaguely. “And anyways, the ones getting marked weren't them, most of the time.”

 

Adrien blinked in the midst of getting into his shower, his brain a bit sluggish, but by the time he was under the spray, realization hit him violently. His whole face burned red at the thought of… of…

 

Suddenly, images of Marinette covered in patches of hickeys, from below her jaw down to her collarbone, her milky skin completely littered with his claims, came into his mind.

 

He was both ashamed and turned on by the suggestive idea. Ashamed, because he didn't want to hurt her like that, dammit! He was already guilty of sticking his tongue in her mouth almost everyday; he didn't need his sharp fangs to come into play too. But honestly, a deep, feral part of him, liked the concept of leaving evidence of their intimacy. It would be so fascinating to see her nervously tug a scarf around her neck for days at a time, trying to conceal her marks, but still have her gazing at them in her bathroom mirror and relive their night together. Oh God, the look of the other guys if they ever saw them; the way they’d just back off and wonder to themselves who the bastard that got to her first was. Then, he wouldn't have to worry about sharing her-

 

Adrien slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide in embarrassment, as he halted his imagination with a forceful pinch of reality.

 

What was he  _ thinking _ ? He couldn't just imagine those vulgar things! Not about his sweet, kind classmate. Not about  _ Marinette _ . He was absolutely not about to tackle her in the hallway and return the favor or anything stupid like that.

 

And that bit about ‘sharing’ her? Pfft. Yeah, right. They weren't even exclusive. She… wasn't his girlfriend, no matter how many kisses they shared, because all of that meant nothing.

 

Nothing.

 

He was just a cat in heat. He wasn't in the right mind to court her. He was not, under any circumstances, allowed to be selfish. Marinette could date whoever she wanted. And he’d be cool with it. He had to be cool about it, right?

 

_ “But she loves you,” _ a stubborn voice echoed in his head.  _ “You have as much claim on her as a real boyfriend does.” _

 

_ “No, I don't.”  _ Adrien snapped back.

 

Just because she had feelings for him - his civilian self - doesn't mean that she was necessarily his, nor was she Chat Noir’s. Despite all the heated makeouts that they shared, or all the blushes that she seemed to reserve for him, that did not mean he had her heart in his hands. That did not mean he should be feeling this kind of possessiveness towards her, when they weren't even a thing to begin with.

 

He growled as another pesky image came into his mind, this one replaying the first night that started it all, with her perched on her desk and yet still having the leverage of unraveling him with just a few kisses. 

 

Tilting his head up, he welcomed the cold water beating down on him. He ran his fingers through his hair, absentmindedly, and thought long and hard about how  _ he needed to control himself _ . The only thing grounding him at that moment was his freezing shower, which he was grateful for, since he didn't want to make himself late by doing… other things.

 

After he dried his hair and put on some clothes, he proceeded to open up his make-up bag, snatching the concealer. Having been a model for most of his life, he’d lived with make-up for as long as he could remember, and though he didn't apply it often, he still knew what to do. As his hands worked, he couldn't help feeling a bit sad that he had to hide them away. For good measure, he threw on his favorite scarf, the softness of it warming him instantly.

 

Luck seemed to be with him that morning as Nathalie and the Gorilla didn't notice anything was off.

 

But Nino was a different story.

 

Ever since the other day, Nino had hunted him down for a full explanation. He was constantly on alert when a certain dark-haired girl walked by, as if she had ascended from hell and was there to reap their souls. Well, Adrien's, anyways. And if the texts blowing up Adrien's phone was any indication, Nino was not yet pleased with the bits and pieces of information that Adrien had spewed during their punishment.

 

But Adrien couldn't exactly blurt out _ everything _ , could he?

 

It was one thing to tell him that he was in a puberty crisis - that, Nino had strangely taken pretty well. And then, when he told him that he had a crush on Ladybug, Paris’s beloved superhero and goddess, Nino was a bit surprised, but had also taken it well enough. Apparently, Nino had had suspicions about it for months, with the way Adrien always 'made this stupid face every time anyone mentioned her’. Figures. And  _ then _ , when Adrien said he had another crush on Marinette, Nino outright  _ laughed _ .

 

“I fucking knew it!” Nino had screamed, effectively startling Adrien.

 

After a few curses, shushes, and a few shades of mortification, Nino had quieted down enough for Adrien to continue his confession.

 

That was when things started going downhill.

 

Adrien had, through gritted teeth, announced that he was not in fact certain he would choose their classmate over the superhero.

 

Before Adrien could finish recounting the incident, he was forced to face the real trial of the day.

 

Alya was perched on his and Nino’s desk, the scene dangerously similar to previous memories, but the face Alya was making did not bring pleasant thoughts at all. She was sitting in front of Nino, as if they were having a serious conversation before he interrupted them.

 

Alya pushed her glasses higher up her nose. “Hey, Adrien.” Her tone was light, but her eyes implied otherwise. 

 

Unconsciously, he gulped, the scarf around his neck suffocating him. “Hey, guys,” he greeted uneasily.  Carefully, he set his bag on his seat and glanced at his best friend. “Um. Should I be worried right now?”

 

Nino grimaced, and that was all it took for a load of dread to settle into his stomach.

 

“Well, shit.”

 

“Oh, don't get your panties in a twist.” Alya hopped off the desk, patted her jeans, and smirked. “I’m not going to do anything.”

 

“You…” Adrien tilted his head, baffled. “You aren't?”

 

“No.” Alya breezed past him, her stride confident, and she leaned in close to him and added in a low tone, “Not yet.”

 

Adrien didn't dare look back at her retreating figure. Slowly, he swallowed the lump that had abruptly formed in his throat and sat down. “What was that all about?” Adrien murmured as soon as Alya exited the classroom.

 

Nino shrugged. “She’s a reporter, dude.” Was all he said.

 

“And what does that have to do with-” A moment later, a spark of realization flashed through him. Groaning, he thumped the back of his head against the desk behind him. “It's about yesterday, isn't it?”

 

“Bingooo.” Nino patted his shoulder solemnly. “Rest in pieces, is all I gotta say.”

 

“Wait a minute. You aren't going to  _ help me _ ?”

 

“For your information, my dude,” Nino pointed a finger-gun at him. “I’m her accomplice.”

 

Adrien's jaw fell to the ground at the same time his hand flew to his chest. “You- you’re  _ what _ ? Nino, how could you!”

 

Nino held up his hands, but there was no hint of surrender in his golden eyes. “I swear to Michael Jackson's soul that I didn't rat you out.”

 

Adrien narrowed his eyes. “But…?”

 

“But Alya has a damn good, if not terrifying, eye for the truth. You’re not a magical girl with a yoyo, so finding out about your secret isn't going to be that tricky for her.”

 

“And remind me again why you're helping  _ her _ instead of  _ me _ ?”

 

“Cuz,” Nino propped his chin on his fist and regarded him from the rim of his glasses. “I want answers as much as she does.”

 

“Uugghhh,” Adrien drawled as he pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. It was too early in the morning for a headache, dammit. “Nino, I  _ told  _ you already.”

 

“Telling me that things are 'complicated’ multiple times does not count as an explanation, dude.” Nino said flatly. He took in the way Adrien groaned again, the way his shoulders dropped in defeat, and finally let his expression soften a bit. “Look, man. I’m just worried.”

 

“About what?”

 

“About you getting heartbroken, for starters.” Nino snorted when he glared at him. “Don't even give me that look. You know fully well why I’m confused as heck.”

 

Adrien sighed. Yeah, he sure knew. The whole reason Nino had flipped was because Adrien himself couldn't come to terms with his own feelings. He was still very much in love with his lady, but he couldn't tell Nino why without giving away too much information. Nino had argued profusely that he didn't even know her, had never even talked to her, and all Adrien could do was keep his mouth zipped shut even though he wanted so badly to say that he knew her extremely well, more than anyone.

 

But that wasn't even the worse part.

 

There was the question why he didn't want to start something with Marinette, despite their obvious affections for each other.

 

_ “It’s complicated.” _

 

He couldn't tell him that he was in heat, or that he wasn't even sure that his feelings were genuine or just lust in disguise. But what he  _ did _ admit was that… he couldn't let go of his other love yet. Why?

 

_ “It’s… complicated.” _

 

Nino huffed when he didn't respond. “Adrien,” he started slowly. “Listen. If- no,  _ when _ you decide to tell me what's going on, just you and me, then I won't go spreading it to Alya or anyone else. Really.”

 

It was the genuine tone in his voice that made Adrien turn to him. His golden eyes were warm, holding so much worry and curiosity and comfort that Adrien almost gave in at that moment. However, he bit his tongue.

 

Not yet. Soon, but not yet.

 

“Thanks, man,” Adrien settled for. “It’s just that things are so…”

 

“Complicated?” Nino supplied, a knowing smirk gracing his face.

 

Adrien snorted but nodded nonetheless. “Exactly.”

 

A minute of silence passed until Nino nudged him with his elbow. “Hey, Adrien?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I still stand with my suggestion.” He leaned closer and continued in a whisper, “About Marinette.”

 

Adrien’s eyes fell to his lap where his hands fidgeted, desperately wanting to touch his marks. “I  _ do _ like her. I’m just… I don't think I’m ready. Yet.”

 

“But she confessed.” Nino pointed out. “And you told me that you cared for her. A lot.”

 

“That doesn't necessarily mean that I have what it takes to be a good boyfriend for her.”

 

Nino opened his mouth, a retort poised on his tongue, but the classroom door opened, and the subject of their conversation strode in, a white box balanced in one hand.

 

Marinette looked up, and when she saw them, she gave a tiny wave with her free hand. “Morning, guys,” she said, if not a little sheepishly.

 

“Morni- oof!”

 

“Can I help you with that?” Adrien was up on his feet a second later, but accidentally knocked Nino to the side in the process. Though, he didn't seem to notice as his eyes were still trained on the girl.

 

Marinette jumped at the urgency of his tone, almost dropping the box she was carrying, but Adrien’s hand shot out to help steady her. Their hands touched, and Adrien couldn't help but let out a breath at the feeling of her warm skin on his fingertips. Marinette, however, wasn't as distracted as he was, for she quickly retracted from him and placed the box on her desk, safe and secure. When she turned back to him, a pretty shade of pink had made an appearance on her cheeks.

 

Adrien licked his lips unconsciously.

 

Thankfully, she didn't see that, for she was looking at the floor, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. She eventually looked at him and asked, “Um, did you get my message last night?”

 

Oh, did he. “Ah, that. Yup, I got it. And don't worry, everything's good.”

 

So, so good actually. He had saved the voicemail and played it on loop for a large portion of last night, rendering him a tiny bit sleep deprived, but it was well worth it. The sound of her voice quivering, subtly enough for other people to ignore, was a devilish song to his ears, because he  _ knew _ what was going on with her while she spoke.

 

Who knew a simple voicemail could elicit such primal imaginations?

 

A relieved sigh escaped her lips, effectively dragging him out of the gutter and forcing him to come back to reality. “I feel awful for ignoring you after you, uhh…” She gestured vaguely at his person. “Um, complimented me.” She took the box again and handed it to him, much to his bewilderment. “So, consider this a peace offering.” 

 

Slowly, he accepted her gift and opened the lid. Inside was four different pastries, no doubt from her bakery, and they smelled absolutely heavenly.

 

Oh, Nathalie was going to kill him for ruining his diet.

 

But hey, you only live once.

 

Adrien grinned. “Thank you, Mari! You really didn't have to. I wasn't even mad the other day.”

 

“But I was.” After a second, Marinette squeaked. “Ah, n-not at you! I meant at myself! Y-You’re just so nice and caring a-and I’m just such a mess and-”

 

“Mari,” Adrien chuckled as warmth flooded his chest at the sight of her. “Please breathe.”

 

She did as she was told, a new shade of red decorating her face, but a shy smile appeared over it. “Uh, anyways. Are you still free on Saturday?”

 

His face lit up at the mention of it. It was tomorrow, wasn't it? “I’ll make myself free, don't worry.”

 

The way her smile grew and her eyes twinkled made his heart stutter, and he promptly loved the sensation.

 

But the feeling lasted for only two seconds as Chloe, from out of the blue, emerged at his side and clutched his arm. “Adrikins!” She sang. “I love that scarf you're wearing! It totally suits you.”

 

He fingered the blue accessory self-consciously. “Father gave it to me for my birthday, remember?”

 

“Ah, Uncle Gabriel does have good taste. Almost as good as mine, that is.” Her icy blue eyes darted to Marinette, who was regarding them with dark eyes. “Dupain-Cheng.”

 

“Bourgeois.” Marinette spat.

 

“Let's go outside, Adrikins. It stinks of flour in here.” Chloe tugged on his arm, but he planted himself firmly in front of Marinette.

 

“Not until I finish talking, Chloe.” Adrien said, still patient.

 

“Oh, what else do you two have to talk about?” Chloe sighed before tugging him again, this time more insistently. “Aren't I more important?”

 

It was Adrien's turn to sigh. “We're making plans right now, so if you could wait for a few minutes-”

 

“ _ Plans _ ?” Chloe gasped. “What 'plans’?”

 

“It’s called 'none of your business’ plans.” Marinette answered, her arms folded in front of her chest, indignant. “Now,  _ move _ .”

 

Chloe’s eyes narrowed dangerously in a way that Adrien knew all too well. Ruefully, he offered Marinette an apologetic smile. “We’ll continue this soon, okay?”

 

Marinette pouted as her eyes roamed to Chloe again, but her eyes snapped back to him when he chuckled. “What?” She asked.

 

“Nothing.” He smirked before murmuring, “You’re just cute when you're angry like that.”

 

With some amusement, he watched as the flame in her eyes dimmed and flowed throughout her face, lighting her up in a shade of red that reminded him of his lady.

 

“Catch you later, Mari.” With that, he waved, but was cut off short as Chloe yanked him back, effectively dragging him to the door.

 

Once they were outside, she let out a growl before dropping his arm, a manicured finger pointing angrily at his chest. “What is going on between you two?” She demanded, not wasting a second to glare at him.

 

Adrien sighed, which did not please her at all, but he couldn't do much to make the situation any better. “Chloe, I’m allowed to make friends,” he simply stated.

 

“Yes, but not with  _ her _ !” She stomped her foot, a habit that he had grown used to by now. “Can't you see that she has a weird ulterior motive behind all that dumb stuttering? She just wants to get close to you so she can get in your father's good books.”

 

At this, Adrien rolled his eyes. “You’re being ridiculous. Again.” He gave her a look when she tried to object, making her close her mouth and listen to him. “Mari’s not like that. She's sweet and kind and she was one of the first few friends I made here at school. I trust her.”

 

“Yeah, well, I don't.” She stubbornly folded her arms over her chest, nose upturned, refusing to back down. “I’ve known her for much longer than you have, Adrikins. She's mean to me and she always has something to say about everything I do. In short, she doesn't deserve to be your friend.”

 

“Okay, and how does that connect with me?” When she offered nothing but furrowed brows, he went on, “Just because you don't have a good relationship with her doesn't mean that  _ I _ can't, Chloe.”

 

Her mouth hung open at his statement, and for a moment, he was a child again, watching his only friend being denied a toy from her father. She balled her fists at her sides, a stubborn act, but her eyes held something different. They were glassy and, if Adrien dared to guess, there was hurt there, too. “You’re choosing her over me?” She mumbled so quietly that he thought he had heard her wrong.

 

But he didn't hear her wrong, did he? From the way her bottom lip trembled, it was clear as day. “Chloe,” he started, hand already outstretched to touch her. “I didn't mean-”

 

She slapped his hand away, the contact sending a lightning bolt up his arm. “Don't!” She yelled.

 

Brows knitting together, he stared at her in shock.

 

“If you want to make 'plans’ with her, then go ahead! It's pretty obvious that you much prefer her than me!”

 

“Chloe, I didn't say that!”

 

“Well, you didn't need to!” She whipped her head to the side, ignoring eye contact.

 

Adrien gawked at her. “Chloe…” he tried, but no words could form.

 

But her name alone seemed to be enough, for she glanced at him again, but her posture was still rigid.

 

He willed his features to soften, countering her stone-cold aura. “If you want, you could join us.”

 

...Once the words slipped out of his mouth, he immediately jerked, realizing too late how his offer was crossing an invisible line. But he couldn't take it back now, can he? It was out there, and whether or not it could prove disastrous was up to the other blonde.

 

And it seemed like Adrien wasn't the only one flustered about the spoken question. Chloe's eyes were blown wide, mouth hanging open, and he couldn't exactly tell if she blushed or paled.

 

It took a moment for her to regain the ability to react. Clearing her throat and flipping her hair back, she fixed her blue eyes on him fully. They were narrowed, but not out of distaste, he noticed for a start, and instead they were filled with curiosity, like she wasn't quite believing the words she was hearing.

 

Well, frankly, Adrien himself hardly believed it, but then again, it was too late to back out too.

 

Slowly, she murmured, “And what is it that you're planning on doing?”

 

“Um, studying. At her place.”

 

She snorted, which wasn't an abnormal response coming from her, but it didn't hold as much mockery as usual. Adrien smiled fondly at that - she was warming up to the idea, if only a little. “You guys just can't go to the mall like regular people, can you?” She tisked.

 

“But what's the fun of being regular people?” He teased.

 

She smirked at that, and it lit a match of hope in his chest. 

 

“So…?”

 

She sighed, waving a dismissive hand in front of her face. “ _ Fine _ . I’ll join you, if you want me around that badly.”

 

He grinned, a genuine gesture despite the warning bells in his head. He chided himself that surely this was a good sign, right? Maybe things would turn around for them after all. “Great. Tomorrow, then.”

 

~0~0~

 

Now, the hard part was over, thus what was left was the  _ other _ hard part: telling Marinette that he had invited her arch nemesis to their date (wait,  _ was  _ it a date? God, he wished it was).

 

They were walking down the hallway to their next class. Alya and Nino were walking a few steps in front of them, talking among themselves and paying no attention to the two people behind them. Perfect!

 

“Um, Marinette?” Adrien started.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Listen, uh… remember our study session tomorrow?”

 

“Yesss…?” Something flashed in her eyes. “A-Are you cancelling?”

 

“No!” He hastily reassured her. “No, no, I will  _ definitely _ be there. Just that, ahh, I invited someone to join us.”

 

She blinked. “Oh.”

 

He scratched the back of his neck at the blank expression she gave him. “Yeah, so uhh… are you mad?” He wanted to test the waters. 

 

She paused for a second, which jump started his pulse. Uh-oh. And then, her frown was soon replaced by a polite smile. Double uh-oh. “Well, no. It's okay. Who is it?”

 

Here goes nothing.

 

He adjusted the scarf around his neck self-consciously. It was really starting to choke him. “Ah, about that…” He looked at her, ready to open Pandora's box and face her at Hell’s gates, when something caught his eye.

 

It was faint. Just a brown splotch, barely noticeable, but still very real. It rested just below her jaw, partly hidden by her left pigtail, so nobody could immediately see it if they didn't pay close attention.

 

But Adrien  _ did _ see it, thus making his whole face explode into a heated blush.

 

Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh  _ shit _ !

 

He clamped a hand over his mouth, feigning a cough to hide his abrupt growl. It couldn't be what he thought it was, could it…?

 

Pushing aside her curious gaze, he inspected her again, just for a moment, to confirm that oh hell  _ yes _ it was what he thought it was. From behind his hand, he licked his suddenly dry lips. Why was he feeling thirsty all of a sudden?

 

“Adrien?” Marinette finally piped up, clearly flustered at his change of attitude. “You okay?”

 

“Err, ah, hah, yeah.” He coughed again. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

 

“You don't  _ look _ okay. Is something wrong?” She touched her cheek, her dark brows puckered as she patted her freckled skin. “Do I have something on my face?”

 

“Ah, well, not… not really?”

 

Her eyes narrowed, this time in suspicion. “Adrien, what's going on? You’re acting weird.”

 

He gulped, not able to make further eye contact with her. How could he, when he just saw a goddamn  _ hickey _ on her skin? A hickey that he was 99.9% sure was from him!

 

He’d been so sure that he hadn't bitten her too hard, hadn't left a mark in all their make-out sessions, hadn't hurt her in any way, but here was the proof of his ignorance, staring at him with dubious blue eyes. Though it was small enough for wandering eyes to dismiss, it still spelled trouble.

 

Keeping his gaze on anywhere else but her, he pulled off his scarf and handed it to her. “Um, you look cold,” he started lamely. Rubbing the back of his neck, he chanced a glance at her, not surprised at her perplexed expression. “Here, wear this.”

 

She looked at him, blinking, and then at the scarf and back again. “But, I’m not-”

 

“No, no, I insist.” He hung the accessory over her shoulders. He wanted to wrap it around her, but thought better of it. No need to cause even more alarm for her. “It's uh, freezing, don't you think? I wouldn't want a friend to get sick.”

 

“Who- what- I-I umm, I mean…”

 

She fumbled with her words, like she usually did, and it made him smile despite the increasingly awkward situation. Had she always been this adorable? God, he had been so stupid to not have realized it then. Clearing his throat to stop her from stuttering any longer, he said, “You can wear it for today. I don't mind, really.”

 

“B-buh-but!”

 

Thinking that this was a good opportunity, he took the scarf again and carefully brought it around her neck. He silently grinned when the pesky hickey was finally out of sight - for her benefit or for his own, he didn't dare say. “Well, you look better in it than I do, so what's the problem?” He couldn't help but tease her a bit.

 

At that, her skin lit up like she was stuck in an oven, all the way from her chest to her hairline. She swayed, and he grabbed her upper arms to support her suddenly limp body, and this time he couldn't hide his amusement. He laughed, mostly to himself, because how was she so cheeky and confident with Chat Noir, but was absolute putty with Adrien Agreste? The irony of it all would never cease to amaze him.

 

She was hiding her face in her hands now, clearly overwhelmed, if the way she was moaning (oh Jesus Christ) was any indication. He took pity on her and let go, but his grin was still plastered on.

 

The bell rang overhead, signaling their tardiness.

 

“Um, Mari?” He chuckled. “We really should go now.”

 

“In a minute, Agreste.” She mumbled, voice muffled by her palms.

 

He chuckled even more. “Unfortunately, we don't have a minute.” He looked around the empty hallway. “Aaaand apparently at some point our best friends ditched us. So, there won't be anyone sassing the teacher for us when we get in.”

 

“Ugh, Alya…” She took a deep breath before lowering her hands, pouting at him. “And  _ you _ , Adrien, ughhh I swear to God.”

 

“What?” He raised his hands, with no guilt whatsoever.

 

She shoved his chest and stuck her tongue out at him. Her face was still painted in a pretty shade of pink, lessening the threat in her scowl.

 

And even as she left him behind and strode in the classroom first, he still couldn't find it in him to care about the scolding he was inevitably getting into. The time spent with Marinette, with them being  _ comfortable _ with each other, was time well spent, no matter what the consequences may be.

 

Even if said consequences were his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having my finals soon, so updates will be... sometime in the future. Bye xD


End file.
